


Your Best Nightmare (Undertale)

by Destynation



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adoptive Sibling, Depression, Family-themed, First Person, Gen, Genocide, Mostly Sadness, Original Character - Freeform, Sad, Some happiness, Split into ACTS, This is going to be your best nightmare, experimentations, perseverance, puns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-19 19:51:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7375156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destynation/pseuds/Destynation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Destiny was the sister of the purple soul kid who fell in. When she went looking for him, though, she fell in as well. But what happens when she is found by the royal scientist?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Act One: Prologue

My brother hasn't been found since we took that trip to Mount Ebott two months ago. The police say that he could've been kidnapped, seeing as he is only twelve. The likeliness that he fell off a ledge wasn't crossed out, but it was rather overlooked. Plus, seeing as it has been two months and nothing's turned up, I needed to look for myself.

        In those two months, I had turned sixteen along the way. We didn't have a party due to the investigation, but I was given my license that day. And after a month more, I had enough. I grabbed my hoodie and keys, and walked out to make the drive back to Mt. Ebott. We needed closure. I needed closure. Memories flash through my eyes as I recall back to that warm, sunny day.

         _Mom was taking pictures of me and my brother at our little picnic. My brother was wearing his glasses again, which he claimed made him look "smart", and sketched in his notebook the different bugs he saw. Science was something he absolutely loved. He never left the house without his notebook. I just sat on the picnic table and listened to my i-pod. At the time, it was just another family vacation I was dragged to. So I just listened to music until it was time to eat. Dad was grilling, and I must admit, it was the highlight of this trip. Dad's steaks were honestly the best there was._

_It wasn't until around one that my brother came to ask me to go hiking with him. "I don't want to get dirty. Besides, dad will be done with dinner any minute now." I should have went with him, and I regretted it. When dad was done at 1:30, he was no where to be found. I yelled and yelled until they turned into screams. "Matthew... Where are you...?" I screamed. Tears filled my eyes, aching to spill out. "I'm so sorry..."_

        I reach Mt. Ebott when the sky started setting. The dark wouldn't help me much, so I have to be fast. Opening the car door, I step out of my small car. It's honestly not much, but it was something to get by on. I needed a way to get to places without having to walk. The cool, autumn air nips at my face for several seconds before I decide to start my search. My best guess was to search around the mountain, but that area was already covered by the police. So I decide to start climbing.

        My red converses weren't really stable enough to tackle the mountain head on, so I trek up the pathway to the top. There's no real theory of why this is here, but it seems to work out for me. The hike was long and tiresome, being I was going up a rough path, but I make it to the top before the sun had set for the evening. My breathing hitches as I try to catch my breath. I should've brought my inhaler. But I am not the wisest person I know. As soon as I catch my breath, I look around for a sign. Anything that could put the pieces back together. I nearly decided to give up when something catches my eye. A shoe hangs by its laces on a branch. The branch is by a gaping hole in the mountain. Yep. A hole in the mountain.

        It is his shoe. Of course it is his shoe. He was really bad at tying them, so they typically were very loose fitting. And he went through shoes every month, so these were his new pairs. It makes sense in a way. Maybe he fell into this hole?  
        I lean over the hole, to get a better view of what was down there. While trying to get lower, my foot slips and I fall into the mountain. My voice rings loudly on the way down. I'm going to die. I'm honestly going to die...

 

                                                                              *                         *                       *

 

        I didn't die. I fell into a flower patch. The flowers are surprisingly soft, and a nice yellow color as well. At least I know that if Matthew did fall in, he didn't die right away. There was just one question: Where was I?

 

        My legs wobble as I try to stand. The room is fairly dark, and the only light source is the rays of light above. There is a large door ornate with some ancient designs. I walk over to it, pushing it open. It look the same as the last room.... but there was a golden flower with a normal, smiling face. Normally, I'd be freaking out. This would have to be a dream, right? But I am surely wide awake.

        "Howdy!" the flower speaks cheerfully. "I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!"

        Confused, I ask, "Where am I...?" Flowey keeps smiling.

        "You're new to the Underground, aren't ya?" he asks. I nod my head. "Golly, you must be so confused. Okay. I'll teach you how things work around here." Golly? Who the hell says golly? Flowey sets up a fight, I suppose. It looks like one of those Nintendo game fight sequences. A small, purple heart illuminates on my chest. "You see that heart? That is your soul, the very culmination of your being. Your soul starts out weak, but you can grow strong if you can gain a lot of LV."

        "What's LV? Is that like... level?" I ask. Flowey grins, as if I was a poor child.

        "Why, LOVE, of course! You want some LOVE, don't you?" Of course I do, if it'll make me stronger. If there are creatures like Flowey, I need to be strong. "Don't worry, I'll share some with you!" Some tiny white pollen forms above his head. "Down here, LOVE is spread through tiny white "Friendliness Pellets". Collect as many as you can!" The pellets scatter towards me, and before I could think, one of them hits my soul. I cry out in pain as I feel my health draining. Flowey grins a more demonic grin. "You IDIOT. In this world, it's kill or be killed." The damn flower laughs evilly as his deadly pellets surround my soul, growing closer and closer. I shiver, feeling my death coming closer.

        Until my health rises again. 

        Flowey stands there with nothing but shock. A flame hurls towards him, knocking him away. At first, I am relieved. But then I grow more and more terrified. Did Matthew have to deal with this...? 

        My rescuer is some goat creature. She seems nice enough, welcoming me with wide arms. I learn her name is Toriel, which seems better than my own name. "I suppose you aren't really a child, are you?" she asks me as we walk through a puzzle with ease.

        "No, ma'am. I turned sixteen recently." I say relaxed. Maybe not all monsters were as bad as Flowey.

        Toriel smiles. "Oh, so polite! You remind me of a child who passed by here a while ago..." she pauses. Is she talking about Matthew?

        "I believe that might be my brother. I've been looking for him. Do you know where he is?" I ask. She frowns, looking distraught. 

        "He left the Ruins... I am not sure where he is."

        "How do I exit the Ruins?" I ask curiously. Toriel stops, looking at me. 

        "If you exit the Ruins... they... Asgore.... will kill you." she said. "I cannot lose another child..."

        I think about what she said, and it scared me. Was Toriel the only kind monster? Could I be happy living with her?

        No... I couldn't. "I'm not a child, ma'am. I'll be safe." I am mostly reassuring myself than her. It never really occurred to me that I could die. Even though Flowey just tried to kill me, I felt invincible. Maybe it was because I just assumed everyone else was just as nice. "I just need to find my brother."

        Toriel looks upset, like she wants to fight me. But instead of fighting me, she gives me a tight hug. "Okay, my child..." she says, pulling me closer. I hug back, feeling the need to cry. "I will let you go."

 

                                                                *                                *                                *

 

        Toriel's home is nice and cozy. It wouldn't be a bad place to live. She was on her own, though, which makes me sad. Toriel is too nice to be alone. The thought alone makes me regret wanting to leave her.

        She hasn't said much to me since I asked to leave. Toriel had just given me her phone number and some essentials for the road. Now we stand at the exit of the Ruins. I give her a warm hug, in which she returns sadly. "I hope you find your brother safely." Toriel says softly. I thank her for everything before pushing open the door. I walk through to the other side.

        The door slams shut. I wouldn't be surprised if it attracted some attention. Ahead of me are sheets of white snow on branches and the ground. I start walking through the woods until I am encountered by a tall, skeletal monster. His smile grows as he sees me. "A human?" He says in hands. I didn't understand a lot, but it was said in my head after every word. "Imagine my luck!" The skeleton's smile grows, becoming viciously. I look around for a way out. But it was too late as I am hit on the head my something. As my vision blurs to black, I call for help.

 

                                                                                        But nobody came.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Gaster makes an agreement with the girl.

      "Human. Wake up." A voice booms inside my head. My eyes slowly force themselves to open. I'm inside some sort of glass container. Wait, I'm in a laboratory. Blinding white walls and floors make my head spin, and if that wasn't bad, the same skeleton I encountered in the woods is wearing a white lab coat. His hands are nonchalantly in his coat pockets. "Normally we kill you on sight... but we've never seen a human like you here. You're older than the children who frolic in the woods or in Snowdin. And it would be easier to use you as a... test subject, if you will." The man explains. "You see, you humans have this thing called Determination... and I am experimenting on how humans got this determination. Of course, normally I would have to use monsters, but... why not use you?"  
       

 

I look at him disgusted. He wanted to experiment on me? "Why...?" I ask weakly.

 

        "Why, child, to figure out how to break the barrier that separates us from the humans!" he exclaims, like I should have known this. Maybe I should've, but it's not exactly in history books. "We were force down here by the humans, and after the recent death of our young prince, the King has been trying to collect seven human souls so he can break the barrier and free us all."

 

        "Then why do you need to do tests on me?" I ask, pressing my hands on the glass. We must have killed their prince. That's what Toriel tried warning me.

 

        "Because the chances of a human falling down here are very slim." The scientist says. "If I can come up with a way to break the barrier without the souls, we could be free. Now, human-"

 

        "Don't call me human. That just sounds like an insult." I blurt out.

 

        "Well, what shall I call you then, child?" he asks, clearly interested. I think for a moment. Is it wise to tell him my name?

 

        "Destiny. Call me Destiny." I answer. He looks pretty pleased with himself. Walking to the other side of the room with the chalk board, he picks up a piece of chalk and starts writing.

 

          
         ** _Dr. W. D. Gaster._**

 

         
         "That is my name. Now, Destiny, will you be willing to work with me?"

 

                                                        *                                        *                                *

 

        I think no matter what I had said, I would be strapped to a table.

 

        I did agree to work under his terms. He wasn't awful by any means, and he certainly spared my life. Maybe I didn't owe him anything, but I thought of my brother's love for science, and I just agreed without thinking about it. It was a serious thing I had committed to. I could die. But at the same time, I was confident that I wouldn't.

 

        Gaster straps me tighter on the table. "First, we will do a scan to see your full extent. It will be a bit painful, but it will not be that bad." He explains. Did he say it would be painful? I gulp, looking a bit worried. He has already set up the machine, and before I could object, the scan has already started. Beams of light trace every inch of my body. It isn't as bad as bad as he- I yelp in pain. What the hell was that? Flash. My vision goes white and something in the pit of my stomach stirs. I am going to get sick.

 

         _Flash. Flash. Flash._  It keeps on, making me groan in pain. The machine finally stops at some point, and I find myself panting for air. "Hmm..." Gaster's voice booms in my head. "This is very interesting indeed." When my vision reappears, he is unstrapping me from the table. My legs are the first to fall, making me plant face-first onto the floor. I didn't have the energy to push myself up anymore. There was no way I wanted to do this, science or not. "Very  _disappointing._  I guess I've should've known..." What the hell did he say? "Maybe I should wait for a more  _suitable_  candidate..." Oh hell no. I am more than capable to do this. I push myself up with all of my strength, making it on my knees. It didn't occur to me that he was using my flaws of proving people wrong and trying not to disappoint anyone. Crap, that means he knows everything about me. What did I get myself into?

 

        "Y-you know my flaws..." I mumble in shock after realizing it. Gaster's grin lit up, and it is seriously nightmare fuel.

 

        "Why, of course! I know every detail about you. Your flaws, your strengths... it's like reading a history book." His amusement makes me sick to my stomach. "I know. You must be disgusted with me. But I am doing this for the sake of my people...." Gaster's face goes soft, even if it is for a moment, I feel bad for him. He just wants to free his people, and I couldn't blame him for that.

 

        "I understand." I say simply. And I did in a way. I mean, how would we feel if we were trapped down here? "And I won't resist the tests..."

 

        "Good." He said softly. I like this version of Gaster better than the intimidating one. Of course, that's supposed to be the point.

 

        One of his lab assistants walks inside nervously. She looks at the clipboard before speaking. "E-experiment 54 was success, sir." The assistant looks pleased with herself until she sees me. "S-sir! Is that-"

 

        "Yes, Dr. Alphys. This is Destiny." Gaster gestures to me. "She will be a part of our experiments." I wave a little at her. Alphys waves back awkwardly, and glares at Gaster.

 

        "Sir, you know the orders. Any human that falls down here-"

 

        "I know the orders, Alphys." He waves her off. "But we are going to continue the experiments. Now, take them down to the containment center." Gaster turns away, his hands behind his back. Alphys sighs, and walks over to me. She pulls me up by my arm and escorts me down to an elevator. It's really eerie here, with the darken walls and silent corridors. I gulp down the worries that form in my throat. Alphys doesn't say a word on the way down. The only real sound is my steady breathing. And even that makes this place even more creepier. 

 

        The assistant tugs at my arm when the elevator opens again. I start walking slowly. The room is purely white, with glass boxes like the one I woke up in. I take a deep breath. This is going to be my life now. Glass containers, painful experiments... Well, it could be worse. Alphys takes me over to the container at the very back. It was the biggest out of all of them, and it even had a small, teal blanket with a pillow in the left corner. Other than that, there is nothing left. She opens the door. Sighing, I walk inside, sitting on the floor. My chin rests on the palm of my hand as I await for what is next. Alphys looks a bit down. Before she leaves, she says something to me softly. My ears are barely able to pick it up, but it still hits me hard.

 

        "I'm sorry..."


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week has past since the experiments began. How determined will she stay?

        It's been several days, or so I guessed, seeing as there is no way to keep track of time. Each day rewarded itself with new tests and experiments, sometimes dealing with my soul directly. Gaster said yesterday that the final test would be soon. And I am hoping he's right. I don't know how much more I can endure. Each test becomes more and more painful, and there is always the flashes at the end, blinding me every time. But Gaster gave me a pat on the back, and applauded my determination. I guess it is truly amazing that I'm still here...

 

                                 ** _Maybe I should just give up..._**

 

                                                *                                        *                                        *

 

        My bangs hang over my left eye as I prop myself from the ground. Hisses of sound fill the room slowly, making nothing but the pounding of my heart ever present. Where am I? The voices ring out. But it's not my own.

 

        A spotlight shines on a battlefield. A large monster that looks like Toriel with a blond beard holds a trident towards a young boy-

 

        A purple soul. My brother's.

 

        I try to scream to him to run away, but nothing comes out. It's like I'm stuck behind a glass wall, only able to watch. Matthew is smart when he fights, of course. He eats when his health is low, and dodges his best against the monster's attack. I'm cheering for him as he fights. I want him to win, even if it means the monster must die. He needs to win.

 

        Matthew is running low on health when he attacks again. It's a risk, attacking instead of eating. He uses his notebook and slams it against the monster's chest. When it's the monster's turn, he stabs him in the stomach. My eyes begin to sting with pain as tears build up. My brother closes his eyes; the glasses falling from his face. They hit the ground with the notebook. An aching pain forms in my chest as tears slowly slid down my face. The monster takes his soul and puts it into a glass container for safe keeping. I crumble to the ground, sobbing into my hands. Then I hear his voice in my head:  _ **Keep persevering. You will be alright...**_

__

                                                *                                                *                                                        *

 

        "Are you okay...?"

 

        My eyes slowly open, feeling like heavy weights against my eyelids. The voice belongs to a young skeletal monster who actually looks around my age. He's a bit short. maybe 4'9", and "big-boned", seeing as he has the appearance of being a bit chubby. It makes him cute for a monster. The kid wears a blue jacket with black basketball shorts. "Huh...?" I touch my cheeks, which are a bit sticky and moist. Tears. I was crying in my sleep. "Yeah, uh, kid. I'm okay." I say loud enough to be heard over the glass.

 

        The kid opens the glass door. "Are you a... human...?" He asks, wide-eyed. It's like he's sure, but needed to make sure as well.

 

        I nod my head yes slowly. "My name is Destiny." I introduce, extending a hand. My body is too weak to stand up at the moment.

 

       The kid glances at my hand warily. "The name's Sans." He grins at me. "It's sans-ational to meet you."

 

        "Sans...?" I ask curiously. "As in, Comic Sans?" Sans nods, shaking my hand with his. It feels cold and rough at first, but I didn't really care. "What are you doing down here?"

 

        Sans' face lights up with a bright smile, which I didn't know was possible for a skeleton. It makes him surprising normal. "Oh, my dad works here. He just picked me up from band practice." His dad works here? I don't know why I'm surprised. The Underground doesn't seem to have many businesses, so maybe it was a huge thing to work as an assistant. I do my best to stand up, but my legs wobble a bit. They have been feeding me, but most of the food they have been tossing me isn't exactly what I call edible. So I eat what I can without throwing up. Sans grabs my hands, steadying me. "You look like you haven't ate in days!" he says worriedly. The kid dug into his pocket and pulls out a bag of plain chips. "Here," says Sans. "You need this more than I do."

 

        I grasp the chips, licking my lips. My stomach jumps for joy, causing myself to smile. It's been so long since I've even held actual food. Without being discreet, I rip open the bag, making a loud pop noise. The smell overwhelms my nose, and I never thought the smell of chips could make me so joyous inside. But I guess if you take advantage of the luxuries you have, you won't know what to do when you lose them. I start eating, feeling the saltiness on my tongue with each bite. "Thank you so much..." I murmur to him with pure joy. Now that I think about it, I've never actually been hungry until coming here. Sans chuckles brightly. Okay, so maybe not all monsters are as bad as Toriel made them out to be.

 

        "What are you doing down here?" Gaster's voice booms. At first it rattles me, but then I realize that he's not addressing me. He's addressing Sans. There's a little anger in his voice, but it is mostly shock. Of course Gaster appears a second later, rushing towards us. The lab coat he is wearing covers a white t-shirt instead of his usual black turtle neck. The scientist's face is soft. Loving, even. Now this is a side of him I've never seen before. 

 

        "Well, I was trying to go down a level, when I heard crying. So I went down here, and I found her." Sans explains. "What is she doing here, dad?" No. Freaking. Way. There is no way Sans is related to someone like him. How? He is so nice and funny. And Gaster is... well, not horrible, but not good either.

 

        Gaster ponders for a moment. "I found her." He says with absolute certainty. "Miss Destiny has agreed to do some testing with us."

 

        "She looks like she's starving." He says. I step back, eating another chip. 

 

        "I've been feeding her!" Gaster reassures his son. "She's fine."

 

        "She looks like she has one foot in the grave." says Sans skeptically. "And it's not like she's dangerous." Gaster sighs to this. What was Sans trying to accomplish with this? I didn't want to interrupt, or even lie to the kid. I just feel bad for Gaster, trying to sugar coat his experiments.

 

        "Son, what do you suppose I do?" He asks. "No one can see her, or else she will be in a grave." I gulp at that, thinking about my possible death. A monster could've literally killed me if Gaster hadn't taken me in. And for that, I am thankful. 

 

        Sans thinks for a moment. I can see his mouth quivering at every idea he has, unsure if it's the right one. Then he smiles. "Let her stay with us."

 

        "She can't. Papyrus cannot be allowed to see her. You weren't allowed to see her." the scientist says dismissively. But Sans is still determined.

 

        "Papyrus doesn't even know what a human looks like! And besides, if your experiments aren't as bad as you say they are, then you wouldn't be worried about me seeing her." Sans argues.

 

        Gaster takes a deep breath. His frown appears even more strained. He does not like the idea. After a few moment, though, he loosens up. "Fine. But you will watch her while she's in our home, and she is not to come out until I come for her." Sans grins. hugging his father tightly. It makes me tear up, knowing that he fought for me. He wants me to be well taken care of.

 

        "Thank you so much, dad!" exclaims Sans. "I promise I won't let you down!" Then he runs off. When Gaster is sure he's earshot away, he slaps me hard against the face. I hold the opposite cheek for support, tearing up.

 

        "You weren't supposed to talk to my boy. At all." He growls, taking a step back. "Be lucky I hold him close to my heart, otherwise you would still be here."

 

        "I didn't..." It's the only words that barely squeak out of my mouth. My left cheek stings like someone had literally burned me. Gaster glares at me. I shouldn't have-

 

        He throws me against the wall with the slightest flick of his hand. "Did I say you can talk?" He hisses. I frantically shake my head, making sure to suppress every groan that tried to come out. Gaster lets me fall to the ground, his right eye glowing orange. Fear pierces my heart. Even though he can't kill me for his son's sake, he sure can make my life hell. "Now, come." He orders. I hurry and get up the best I could, tripping over my own feet a few times. My heart pounds in my ear, as well as a ringing slicing through. It drives me crazy, but I have gotten use to it. The ringing has been happening for almost three years now; its cause is unknown. Sometimes it pushed me to tears because it would never stop. Now I just do my best to ignore it.

 

        His assistants strap me into a chair tightly, placing patches on my limbs and one my chest. That means I had to remove my red hoodie, leaving me with only a white tank top. Thank god my jeans are baggy enough. If I was wearing skinny jeans, they'd have to go as well. And let's just say that I feel really uncomfortable to be in just a tank top right now. "Let's see just how far your determination takes you." Gaster says with a wicked grin. "These patches will stimulate a unit of pain, increasing each time. I will be observing you from behind the glass. When you've had enough, yell out 'stop', and it'll all be over." And with that, he swiftly walks out of the room.

 

        And the test begins.

 

        At first, it wasn't so bad.The pain was almost unnoticeable. It was pretty much the equivalent of a small bruise. The next stage was like a paper-cut. The next being like the slap to the face I just got. Of course, it's not terrible now. I actually find myself smiling... until we reach the eighth stage. I grit my teeth lightly. It is like getting a second degree burn all over my body. My heart starts pounding. The ninth stage feels even worse, like someone is stabbing me repeatedly. I yelp in pain, knowing this is only going to get worse. The tenth stage is like I'm being burned alive. Tears threaten to run down my face. God, this is awful. But I have to stay determined. I am not a quitter. I can do this.

 

        The pain only got worse. Some were unimaginable. Stage nineteen feels like someone is tearing me limb by limb slowly. I cry out in pain. Doubt settles in my mind, and refuses to leave. My heart beats quicker and quicker. Now it is stage twenty, and it hits me hard. There is no building up, like the others. It just hits quick, but slow. A scream escapes my lips as my vision blackens. This is the worse possible pain I have ever felt. And I never even felt have of these. My breathing hitches and my heart skips a beat, unable to handle the pain. I'm going to die if I don't give up. "Stop! Stop!" I scream raspy, tears streaming down my face. And it stops instantly. Like he was expecting it.

 

        "Very promising..." Gaster whispers through a mike. "I honestly didn't expect you to handle it that long." His assistants unstrap me, taking off those stupid patches. The devil himself comes to greet me after I calm down. It takes a moment for my heart to return back to a steady beat and for my breathing to soften. "Maybe you are the key to saving us all."

 

        "I'm glad this is worth it to you." I mumble. I know he could hear it, but he doesn't react.

 

        "Tomorrow, we will begin the last experiment." Gaster announces, grinning proudly. "As of tonight, rest. You will definitely need it for tomorrow." I slip on my hoodie and let out a sigh of relief. It will finally end.

 

        He rests a hand on my back and guides me to the elevator. We stand there in absolute silence as we ride to the top floor- his home. When the elevator opens, it's not what I thought it would be. There are brown hardwood floors and a blue sofa against the wall. There are pictures of Sans and a younger skeleton with a huge grin, who I guess is Papyrus. A trombone lies on the living room table with several pieces of sheet music. It makes me smile, knowing that if I had my trumpet, I could play a few songs with the owner. It's a cozy little home, which surprises me. 

 

        Sans walks out of a room, which I could guess must be his. "Let's go, Destiny." He beckons quietly. I stride over to his room, and walk inside. Dark blue walls pretty much made the room, along with it's wooden furnishings. "You can stay in here." Sans says. He gestures to a wooden bunk bed in the far right corner. "You can take the bottom bunk. I have a feeling you aren't much for heights."

 

        "Thank you, Sans." I say softly with a smile plastered on my face. "I am forever grateful."

 

        "No problem." He grins. I move over to the bottom bunk and sit down. It's a weird transition to the cold, hard floors of the containment room, but I get use to it. "I hope you stay." It hits me that Sans may not have many friends. I give him a reassuring smile.

 

        "I am determined to stay."


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Destiny hang out.

      My head is resting on a pillow when Sans comes back in his room. He's been practicing for his recital, and I have the pleasure of watching him. It's strange at first, but you kind of get used to it. He starts playing a version of " _O Christmas Tree_ ", which actually isn't that bad. He's calm and confident, something I struggle to do when I play my own horn. I watch as he swiftly slides through each position, and marvel as his effectiveness. Sans isn't the greatest player, but he sure is determined to get better.

 

        The test today should have killed me. After Stage Nine, it was beyond my normal comfort zone. I only know one reason that could've brought me that far.  
        I wanted to prove him wrong. No. I was determined to prove him wrong. Something in me wants to just show him that I am more than his test subject, that he can't throw me around like a bug. It makes me angry thinking about it, but I try to calm myself down. Gaster is doing this for his kind. Not to hurt me or make me suffer. He is doing this to free everyone so that no one has to-

 

        No one has to die like my brother. Surprisingly, I know he is dead. The dream felt too real to be fake. Everything I saw was his last moments. He was killed by Asgore. And I will get revenge. He took my little brother away from me.  I clench my fists. Sans glances over at me after he played his second song, frowning at my tense hands. "What's wrong?"

 

        I look down at my hands. Loosening them up, I sigh. Please let there be no tears. "My brother fell down here a couple of months ago. I think he might have..." My throat tightens as I do my best not to cry. I don't know how aware Sans is to the situation, but I couldn't bring myself to say it anyways. "I think he might have gotten lost..."

 

        Sans sets his trombone down on his chair, and he walks over to the bed. He gives me the warmest hug I've ever received, which makes me tear up. "It's okay..." soothes Sans. "Sometimes I have nightmares about losing Pap. I couldn't imaging actually losing him." He knew what I meant by lost. Maybe it was my expression, or maybe it was my voice. But he knows. 

 

        "That's what the dream was about earlier. But I know it's more than a dream..." I whisper. He softly pats my back, and it calms me. For once I feel certain that if I am to live long enough, I would stay here. Everyone is so loving and kind. Yeah, there are a few bad ones, but everyone else is better than the humans above. "Thanks..." I whisper, wiping my tears on the sleeve of my red hoodie. 

 

        "No problem." Sans smiles kindly. "Do you play an instrument?"

 

        "I play the trumpet..." I answer, wiping away tears. Sans walks over to his closet, and grabs an old trumpet case on the bottom shelf. He dusts it off and hands it to me.

 

        "It used to be my dad's when he was younger." Sans explains. "He was pretty good. But sadly, I wanted to play the trombone and Pap wasn't interested in music, so it just gathers dust." I open up the black case to find a brass trumpet in good condition. It even had all of the necessities a trumpet player would need. Smiling, I twist the mouthpiece into the horn, giving it a quick buzz through. A beautiful low C comes out slowly, filling me with happiness. I've played the trumpet for almost six years. Granted, I wasn't good for a few years. But I was determined not to give up what I loved. And playing the trumpet gave me so much joy in my life. It was like waking up on Christmas morning every time I blew into my horn. There were days when the stress became too much for me and I hated playing, but that never lasted. "Could you play something for me...?"

 

        I think about what I could play. I don't know a lot of music very well. Sans sits down, legs crossed, ready for my performance. Then I think of it. I could play one of his Christmas songs. Standing up, I hold my horn up comfortably. Deep breath. I start playing. Other than missing a few notes, I did pretty well. My fingers didn't get tangled up like they usually do, and I have a clean sound for once. When I finish, Sans has a goofy grin on his face as he claps with excitement. "That was remarkable..." A voice says breathlessly. I turn around, meeting Gaster in the doorway. For once, there is no anger or malice. For once, there is compassion and joy. My mouth turns into a smile. "I didn't know you played..."

 

        "Yeah. I have for five years now." I say nervously. Gaster looks very amused. He walks inside, shutting the door, and gently grabs the trumpet from my hand. And he starts playing an etude I've never heard of, and it's beautiful. There are notes I can't even reach, going to the highest to the absolute lowest. I grin, nodding my head along. Gaster finishes with a high D and lowers his horn. "That was beautiful." I marvel. There are probably stars in my eyes right now.  
        "Thank you, Miss Destiny." says Gaster with a grin. "It feels good to play again. Like being with a true love again. To be honest, it's nice to see someone love the trumpet as well. Neither of my sons have decided it was for them."

 

        "Will you stay and play some more?" I ask him, almost pleading.

 

        He laughs softly. "I suppose..." And we listen to him play. Gaster plays Christmas carols such as "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and "Away in a Manger". He plays lullabies and etudes that he knows by memory. Each song is unmistakably beautiful with each note. Sans actually falls asleep in my lap, seeing as these songs are very soothing. I find it shocking that he can play so well. When Sans said he was pretty good... well, that was an understatement. As he finishes the final song, I smile as I yawn, applauding his work. Before I pass out on the floor, Gaster stands over me. "Sleep well, my child." He whispers. Then I fall into a sweet and dreamless sleep.

 

                                                        *                                *                                        *

        "Destiny. It's time."

 

        I yawn, struggling to keep my eyes open. They feel sore and heavy, which hurts. Gaster hovers over me, grinning. Today is the big day, I suppose. It's the day scheduled for the last test. Honestly, I am glad these tests are coming to an end, but I really don't want to leave. The people I've met so far are just so amazing. If I have the option to stay, I wouldn't even think about it. Even Sans and Gaster have become family to me.

 

        I stumble to get up, and I follow Gaster to the elevator. Silence remains on this early morning ride, and I start feeling uneasy. I don't even know what this test is going to be, and I'm nervous. There's actually a point where I get so nervous that I start humming one of the lullabies he played for us last night. It has a nice and steady beat, making me feel better. Gaster starts humming as well, chuckling he he sees that I've stop. "Don't be nervous." He says as the elevator opens to his lab. "You just need to stay determined."


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final round of experiments are about to begin.

        "Prepare for a living hell today." Gaster warns as I take my hoodie off for the experiments. I think back to all the times I've considered a situation a living hell. Most of the ones I thought of involved me running a lot, which is a problem for me because of my breathing. Something tells me my troubled breathing situations are nowhere near the hell I'll face today. Surprising, I found the strength to still do basketball even though my lungs suck at being lungs. But I love it too much to give it up, so I just push through it. There really was no chance of my survival at practice, but I was determined to make the team.

 

        "Why can't you be as fun as last night?" I ask curiously. Last night I saw a side of him I didn't even knew existed. He really was a music lover with a wicked way of playing his instrument. It inspired me to want to learn more. I've never heard a trumpet being played like that before.

 

        "That is to be... discarded." answers Gaster. "Today, it is back to business. And we have a lot to do today." He takes out a notebook similar to my brother's, and I freeze. It hit me harder than any of his blows could ever have.

 

        _I was four years old when my new baby brother came into the world. Of course, I wanted it to be a sister, but being for years old I didn't know anything about that process. They named him Matthew, after my dad. Matthew and Destiny. A weird set of names, if you ask me. But I was four in April, and had no say in a name._

_I am six now, my brother is two. It wasn't as bad to have him around, especially since now he knew how to walk. Matthew learned how to walk when he was around one or something. I took advantage of this and had my dear brother sneak treats from the kitchen for me. Normally he'd get caught by mom and dad, and I would never get in trouble. I didn't see anything wrong with it. "Matthew!" I called. He scampered over to me, giggling._

_"Sissy!" Matthew exclaimed. His little arms reached out for me to hold him. I gestured them away._

_"Matthew, no." I said. "Go get us cookies." Matthew smiled and ran to the kitchen on his chubby legs. It felt good to finally not have to do anything myself. I chuckled to myself and went back to playing with my toys. It was fun until my mom marched up to me._

_"Destiny!" She yelled. "Why did you make your brother get you cookies?" My body was frozen in place by the shock that occurred. Was I not careful enough? Did my mind just believe that I'd never get caught? "Go to your room!" Gritting my teeth in anger, I jumped up and stomped my feet. This was insane. I did not want to go into my room. "Now!" She said sternly. Tears swelled up in my eyes, and I stomped into my room._

_Mom walked in a few minutes later, looking a bit cooler. "Destiny..." She said softly. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. But for one, Matthew is not your slave. Second, the cookies he was reaching for were by the knives. How he found a chair to climb up is still unanswered, but you know better." By the knives? Those sharp things that cut food in half? A feeling of badness overwhelmed me. I felt like the scum of the earth. "Listen." I looked down, unable to show my face. "You're the big sister. You are supposed to protect your brother, no matter what." I nodded, already knowing this. It's been said a thousand times, but I'd never get it. "Destiny, you have the most important job, after all."_

 

        _"I do?" I asked. She smiled, her dark bangs falling right above her eyes._

_"Of course, Sissy." Mom said. "Your job is to protect him always. You can't afford to fail." I grinned. I will do the greatest job ever._

 

 

        My brother and I always fought, especially as we got older. But that didn't mean I didn't stay true to my word. I tried my hardest to make sure I was a good sister while still messing with him as the same time. I did have the most important job after all; I couldn't afford to fail.  
        But I did. And a piece of me has died along with him.

 

        "Are you okay, Destiny?" A voice brings me back. I look up, half expecting to see Sans in a white lab coat over a white turtle neck that covered his own neck and a pair of black slacks. He frowns out of concern, as if he'd known me his whole life. What is Sans doing here?

 

        "I'm... I'm okay." I quickly say. My hands grow stiff as my hoodie falls swiftly to the floor. "Just a bit... stiff, I guess."

 

        Sans stares at me in disbelief. I try to remain normal the best I can, but I feel as if he can look through me. It's unsettling, knowing that he always knows. He doesn't say anything, but he nods. After a moment, he finally says it. "I'm sorry about your brother."

 

        Gaster looks at his son astonishingly. "I thought your soul looked familiar..." he whispers. His face softens a little with some sadness, but he tries hiding it. Sans looks up at him with a puzzling look. "I didn't hurt them, Sans... but I did see them when they were transported." The scientist sighs deeply.

 

        "What are they... needed for...?" I ask painfully. Sans also questions this, but without words. 

 

        Gaster's face contorts into a distinct pain that shows some regret inside. "After the king's son, Asriel, was killed by the humans in attempt to accomplish his adoptive human sibling's last request: To see the flowers by their village. Afterwards, Asgore declared that any human that falls down shall be captured and had their soul extracted so we could use it to destroy the barrier. It required seven human souls, and we've waited several years now." He answers darkly. "Your brother was the third soul we have extracted."

 

        I feel my heart pounding in my chest heavily. Seven human souls... and three have already died. I recall back to the memory that craved my attention.

 

 

        _"There have been other unsuccessful cases like this," The officer told my father. We sat around the dining room table, drinking warm glasses of coffee. I tapped my fingers on the mug, frowning. There has been no success in finding my brother since our trip to Mount Ebott. The police have tried looking for him, along with the rest of the community, but no such luck has occurred. "Three other cases in the nation, with children disappearing after taking a trip to the mountain. The first case being a young child of seven who lived with their grandparents after an incident with their parents. It is said that their journal concluded their attempt to 'run away from the world'" They held up a picture. A small child with short brown hair and a screwed up smile appeared on the front in a green striped shirt._

_"Another was of a girl of the age of eleven, last seen going to the mountain in celebration of her dance recital." the officer explained more, holding up a new picture. There was a girl with dark skin and black curly hair pulled back into a messy bun. She smiled a bright smile while wearing a bright pink tutu and ballet shoes. The girl was so pretty, and could possibly be my age if they didn't go missing four years ago. I was fifteen right now, about to turn sixteen in a couple of weeks. Not that anyone would remember, seeing as I'm barely "around" since the disappearance of my younger brother. And I wasn't the type who'd go around and do risky stuff like smoke or anything. Most of the people in my family smoke, and I have inhaled it, but I'd never really put myself through that. I hate the smoke._

_"The last one to go missing was another girl, age nine, after going camping with family." the officer held up the last photo. The girl had dark red hair pulled back into one nicely done dutch braid. A single red ribbon was tied into a bow on the top of her head, bringing out her mint green eyes, and making her more cute in the process. Her smile was a bit strange though. It was a bit smiley, sure, with one tooth missing on the right. But it looked as if she was smiling at the sight of pain. Or she could, that is. I wouldn't be shocked if her favorite toy was a knife._

_I compare all of the pictures to the police's photo of Matthew. He was wearing his favorite red polo shirt with loose fitting pants held on his waist with a belt. His glassed were actually nice and polished for once (they would always cloud up to the point that you can't see his bright blue eyes), and his shaggy brownish-blond hair nearly fell over his eyes. Matthew wasn't like these other children. He didn't want to escape or anything. If anything, he was a cocky little guy who sometimes bordered on narcissism. But that's what always made me laugh. "He's not like any of them. He's out there, somewhere, trying to survive." I argued. "And sitting here like this isn't going to find him!" At that point, my breathing started to hitch, and I ran out of the room. Why was this happening? I've been asking myself this question every day. Why couldn't they just find him? For a brief moment, I started singing one of his favorite songs. "Please... Come on, Matthew. Prove to me you really are stronger." I joked, laughing between tears._

 

 

        Sans' hands move up to his head, sighing. "I can't believe it..." This must of been news to him, too. "There has to be another way of breaking the barrier."

 

        "That's what Miss Destiny is helping us determine." Gaster replies to his son. "Today, she will be given the last three injections of determination to see how much she can really handle, and then we will give her half of a monster's soul to fuse with her own." A monster's soul? How does that work?

 

        "... You're giving Destiny her soul, aren't you?" says Sans in disbelief.

 

        Gaster shook his head no. "Not exactly. Part of my own, and part of hers. Enough for half of a monster's soul without killing a monster." He turns to me. "Are you ready?" I nod my head. I am honestly as ready as I'll ever be.

 

        His assistants strap me down on the table tightly.I take a sharp breath, hurting my chest from the constriction of the straps. This is honestly happening right now. But this is what I signed up for, and it wasn't terrible. Painful, yes, but what is life without pain?

 

        Gaster starts the machine once he and Sans are behind the glass. The machine lowers, and it starts to hiss. The first few injections weren't as bad the first- Flash. The blinding white light stings my eyes, and I close them tightly. I try my best to blink back the tears. Okay, maybe that wasn't as easy. My eyes force themselves open.  _Flash. Flash. Flash._ Colors start formulating in each flash, but it's mostly purple and yellow. My eyes sting like they were up close to a television screen all day.  _Flash. Flash. Flash. Flash._  I could feel the inside of my eyes burn. This feels horrible as hell.

 

  **Are you lost as well?**

 

 _Flash. Flash. Flash._  Who the hell's voice is that...? More purple and yellow flashes brightly. Normally it's not this long, but I guess they combined all three of the injections. 

 

**I'll show you the way.**

 

In fact... It is a deep voice, a strange one. The voice is so unsettling, I can't help but to listen to it. I don't really have a choice. 

 

**We're pretty much the same, you and I. What's your name?**

 

 _Flash. Flash. Flash. Flash._ _Flash._   **Destiny? Hmm... Well, we're going to be someone's best nightmare.**

 

 _Flash. Flash. Flash. Flash._   **Who am I?**

 

 _Flash._ It's like the voice is reading my mind. Sweat slides down my face as I pant heavily from the pain. 

 

 **Why, it's me.** The voice lightens up, showing an image of myself, with my side bangs covering my right eye. It was like looking in a mirror, except the hair is a shade too dark and skin a bit paler than normal. She- I, I guess I should say- smiles a wicked smile, one that makes me think that I have sharp teeth. One so twisted, it could rip me to shreds. 

 

**Don't be so serious. We're not evil.**

 

I sigh with relief. "Thank god." I mutter. The other me actually smiles at that. 

 

**Yeah. We'll meet real soon. I'm not that bad. Stay determined, okay?**

 

 

        The image disappears, and one more flash blinds me. "Injection 2 of 3 is complete" rings from the machine. Gaster exits from the back room and greets me with a smile. "Now it's time to fuse the monster soul with your own." he says. "First, we will take half of your soul, then give you the monster soul. It will fuse together with your determination to want to be whole again." I nod the best I could. I am still seeing dots from the injections.

 

        My purple soul appears in front of me. Sans walks up to stand beside us, watching. It is strange having him watch. I don't know why. Gaster takes out a small contraption and uses it to slice my soul in half. I flinch, wanting to scream in pain. Instead, I bite my tongue. Man, it feels like I'm literally dying. And maybe I am. I mean, my heart is pounding slowly and my breathing slowed a bit to the point of struggling. But I didn't want to die. Maybe it's the determination keeping me alive. When I get the courage to look forward again, Gaster has already combined my soul with the monster one. And he is undoubtedly right about the souls wanting to join. Two is never better than one for me. My breathing returns to normal, and my heart beat quickens again. I feel a thousand times better now. Like I could do anything right now. And maybe I could.

 

        "Good. It's settling nicely." says Gaster. "They've already started fusing." I look down at my soul, and I notice that it really is just one soul. Not a human soul, nor a monster one. One half is purple and the other is white, with the center turning into a nice lighter shade of purple. It's like how paint would mix. Marveling at it, I smile brightly at Sans. He looks a bit concerned, but I can tell he's seeing the beauty in it as well. Sans reminds me of my brother in that sense. They both really love science and love to joke around. "Let's finish the last injection, to see if this new soul can handle your determination." Gaster says to me. I nod my head, eager to finish this. Gaster and Sans turn around and walk back into the back room. Sans gives me a thumbs up before starting the machine again.

 

         _Flash. Flash. Flash._ My eyes start burning, as if they are actually on fire. Tears build up in my eyes.  _Flash. Flash. Flash._ Beads of sweat slide down my face in small streams.This is more intense than the last two.  _Flash. Flash. Flash. Flash. Flash._  Tiny black dots blur my vision as flashes of purple and yellow become more vibrant. Something inside me starts aching, and I'm not familiar with the pain.  _Flash. Flash. Flash._  Something starts pounding in my head, and I grit my teeth. This doesn't feel good at all.  _Flash. Flash. Flash. Flash. Flash._  My left eye starts feeling... different. It hurts so much. I want to scream. I want it to stop. "Stop. Stop. Stop!" I yell in a voice I don't recognize, and the machine flashes three more times before stopping. I let my head fall, panting heavily. It's finally over.

 

        "Um... Miss Destiny?" Gaster says calmly through the microphone. "Could you do that again?"

 

        "Do what?" I ask puzzled. He doesn't give me a response. "Do what?" I say in a deep voice. It's more aggressive than I like, but my patience went out the window.

 

        "That's it..." he whispers into the mic. At first, I'm confused. I mean, what could he be talking about? Then Sans holds up a mirror, and I see what they are amazed at. My left iris is glowing a pale purple, and it looks like a single flame rising from my eye. It looks like what Gaster's did when he threw me back. "It worked... It really worked!" cheers Gaster. Sans smiles at the achievement while Gaster grins and runs out of the back room. His assistants carefully unstrap me from the table. I fall onto my knees, but instead of getting mad, I start laughing happily. It's finally over. All of my pain and suffering will finally help.

 

        "That was amazing, Dest!" Sans greets happily. "Now we have the same power." His left eye glows a cyan blue, which shocks me at first. I didn't know Sans had powers.

 

        I laugh. "Yeah. I don't even know what they do."

 

        Gaster fixes his lab coat. "It's simple, really. The purple is used for telekinesis. The yellow is used for things such as teleportation." He explains. My eyes light up. This is so freaking cool. "Of course, there's more, but those are the basic ones."

 

        There's nothing that could make me stop grinning. Other than the fact that I feel healthier than I've ever felt before, I also have these abilities. After a moment of excitement, I remember something. "So, what happens now...?" I ask curiously.

 

        Gaster looks at me with a heartbroken expression. "Well, I suppose you could leave if you truly desired. You have the determination and a monster soul to go through the barrier." he answers. Is he saying I could just leave...? I couldn't leave! There is no better life than being down here with my friends in the Underground. Sure, I'll never see the outside again, but I couldn't imagine being without these people.

 

        "No." I say sternly. "I'm not leaving." Gaster and Sans both look shocked at this.

 

        "Well..." Gaster starts after a moment. "I suppose, if you wanted, you could be a part of our family. You technically have part of my soul."

 

        Sans' eyes widen at the offer. He smiles at me. It wouldn't be so bad living with them. Hell, I already consider Sans a brother anyways. Standing up, I wrap an arm around Sans. I rub my hand on top of his head. "Why, of course. I wouldn't want it any other way." I say with an accepting smile.

 

        Gaster gives me and Sans a tight and welcoming hug. For the first time in my life, I truly feel welcomed. Like I belong. "Welcome to the family, Destiny."


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Destiny meets her new family.

        My hands rest inside the large pocket of my hoodie as we ride the elevator up. Gaster- er, I don't know what to call him, considering I am a part of his family now- said that it is time for me to finally meet my brother, Papyrus. From what I heard, he's very excitable and has high self esteem due to Sans boosting it whenever Papyrus was younger. They both assured that he'd love me, but it still makes me a bit anxious. I don't know. Maybe this is some sort of second chance that I've been given to be a better sister. Or maybe I'm just being set up to fail again.

 

        "Is something wrong, dear?" Gaster asks, looking down at me. I guess it really was noticeable.

 

        "I'm just nervous about being a sister again..." I admit. "I was never really the best at it the first time."

 

        "Oh, trust me. With Sans and Papyrus, you cannot fail at being a good sibling." He promises. I sigh deeply. This really does seem hopeless. I mean, what if I don't do a good job? What if it's like a cycle, and I am just destined to be the worst sister in the world?

 

        A hand rests on my shoulder in attempts to comfort me. "Destiny, it was never your fault. It was just the case of bad timing and coincidences. But if he never fell down here, you wouldn't have ended up here either." says Gaster softly. "Think of it as fate giving you what you deserve. Two small skeleton brothers who'll always think they need to protect you when it's the other way around, and myself. And I swear that I will do my very best to make this a happy home for you."

 

        My eyes start filling with tears. "Thank you." I whisper while wiping away a stray tear. He laughs softly before patting my shoulder. Gaster maybe a scientist with horrible methods and a dark and dangerous side, but he's one of the most caring people I've ever met. And maybe fate was telling me something. Besides, I would've never met any of them if he hadn't fell down. But he didn't have to die.

 

        The elevator stops, and the doors slide open in one swift motion. Gaster guides me to the door, and unlocks it. Sans said he would meet us there, and sure enough, he's lying on the couch watching T.V. He glances over at me to give me one final thumbs up. The thumbs up helps a little, but I still can't shake this awful feeling of doubt. The what-ifs that make me want to run away and hide. Yeah, everyone gets nervous, but I am close to shaking. "Where is the Great Papyrus at?" Gaster yells out with a smile. I grin at the nickname. He seems like the kind of dad who'd give their kids nicknames. A small skeleton races into the room excitingly, yelling out "Dad" over and over again. A laugh escapes my lips as I watch this very adorable and very excitable skeleton jump up and down at the arrival of his father. I don't think Papyrus actually notices me until Gaster puts his hands on my shoulder. "Papyrus, I'd like you to meet the newest member of our family." he introduces. "This is your sister, Destiny."

 

        Papyrus gasps, wrinkling his beige sweater. "HELLO, DESTINY!" He yells happily. "I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND IT'S GOING TO BE AMAZING HAVING A SISTER!" Huh, I guess they're all named after the font they speak. No wonder it makes sense that Papyrus would be more rambunctious out of the two brothers. And he is so sweet and cute. Papyrus reminds me of my own brother in so many ways.

 

        "It's nice to meet you..." I say awkwardly. To be honest, I'm not really sociable around new people. Especially those who are overly excited. And I am excited to have him as a brother too. I'm just what you call... socially awkward. Papyrus attacks me with a warm, loving embrace. At first, I'm shocked. But then I smile, hugging him back. My eyes grow watery as I extend my arm, beckoning Sans to come over. Sans sees this and rushes over to us. I hug them both tightly, feeling my heart ache. I promise, for as long as I live, I will make sure nothing ever happens to you two. Blinking back tears, I smile down at my brothers. Sans hugs my waist and Papyrus has his head rested on my chest. And maybe fate was the one that pushed me down here. I am glad it did.

 

        Gaster joins the hug, and it's a nice feeling, almost tranquil. Sans is the first to release from the hug. "Hey, Dest, would you like to play?"

 

        I couldn't stop smiling. "Of course, Sans!" He takes my hand and teleports me outside. There is a worn out basketball hoop barely standing up straight against the wall of the laboratory. Sans runs and grabs a normal sized but beaten down basketball. "I actually played on my school's basketball team." I brag happily.

 

        Sans smirks slyly. "What were you, the manager or something?" I actually was a manager last year because I wasn't necessarily good enough to play at the high school level yet. I went into it my seventh grade year, and I was never put into the game much. But I loved playing so much, that I kept with it. Of course, that meant that I never improved, seeing as I would be put in for a minute or two before taking me out. I thought it was normal. I mean, I didn't know anything other than the fact I wanted to play. I needed to play. This year, though, I was determined to play. In fact, I gave up my entire summer just to prepare in conditioning and scrimmages so I had even a tiny chance of playing this year. But everything changed  when Matthew disappeared.

 

        "Naw, I can take you any day." I boast. "After all, I am quicker than you." Sans scoffs, and beckons me to play. I grab the ball and start dribbling it below my right knee. The bouncing of the ball soothes me, and something natural possesses me. The feel of the ball reminds me all that I've learned over the summer. This is something I definitely love.

 

        Sans guards me as I push the ball down the small court. I stop the ball, and he lifts his arms straight up. My hands move the ball up and let it roll of my fingertips. The ball hits the rim heavily, making a thumping noise before bouncing in. "Yes!" I cheer, smiling. "Two points!"

 

        Sans chuckles. "Okay, let's have a dunking contest."

 

        "What?" I ask in shock. "I'm like 5'5"..."

 

        "And I'm four foot and nine inches." Sans argues. "This is the best way to determine who is truly the best." His small smile turned into a sly grin, and I know he's up to something. But I grab the ball anyways, and dribble it a couple of feet from the hoop. My right hand brushes the ball lightly, getting a feel of the tiny bumps. I can do this. I whisper hopelessly in my head. Without anymore hesitation, I start with two dribbles. Carefully, I guide the ball with me as I jump up, my fingertips barely touch the net. The ball bounces off the rim, rolling into the grass. Sans chuckles, helping me get the ball. "Don't worry, sis." Sis. The small, three letter word fills me with determination. "You did good. Now it's my turn." Sans stands a couple of feet from the goal, waiting me to pass him the ball. Grinning, I bounce pass the ball to him, and he runs off. About a couple of inches from the rim, I hide my right hand behind my back. Sans is my brother, and seeing him happy is more awarding than winning a game. I try tapping into my powers, and after a few seconds, I could feel my left eye have a strange feeling again. Smiling, I use it to turn Sans' soul a pale purple, lifting him up with just a a subtle movement of my hand. Of course, to not make it so obvious to him, I lose control after a second. Sans slides the ball through the rim easily, hanging onto the rim by his bony little fingers.

 

        "I... I did it!" He grins brightly at me. Tiny beads of sweat form at the top of his head.

 

   
        I laugh, grinning from ear to ear. "Yeah. I guess you could say I... got dunked on." I say slyly, helping him down. Sans eyes widen at my comment.

 

        "Could I use that?" he asks. "Get dunked on?"

 

        My lips try not to smile, but fail horribly. "Sure, little brother." Yeah, I found out that Sans was a year younger than me. He is fifteen years old, and little Papyrus is eleven. It's amazing that I gained two of the cutest little skelebros ever.

 

        Sans does a little "yes" and sticks his hands into his pockets. After a short moment, he turns to me. "Hey, Dest?" He asks softly. "I found out where they've kept the fallen children... I figured if you went, you could get some closure. It helped me..." My heart aches, and whatever happiness I had depletes. He knows where my brother's body is...?

 

        I don't think Sans would've taken no for an answer. With no time at all, he takes a "shortcut" to a stairwell in the city. My heart feels heavy inside. "This is the Capital." explains Sans. "Down these stairs is where they are..."

 

        "Thanks, Sans..." I whisper softly, feeling my heart breaking. My legs tremble as they step down each step until I finally reached the bottom. In the small room is four wooden coffins with different colored hearts on them. The very last one bears a purple heart. I suppress a sob, and slowly walk over to the last coffin. My hands shakily slide the lid off of the coffin, revealing a deathly white young boy with shaggy brownish blond hair to his ears. His glasses are gone, and his lips are a pale pink color. Tears find themselves steaming down my cheeks in streams. "Matthew..." I say, choking back my sobs. "This is all my fault..."

 

 

                _"I win!" My baby brother exclaimed when he finished his game. We were playing on the Nintendo 64, and Mario was popular between my brother and I. His blue eyes looked over at me for confirmation._

 

         _"Yep, you didn't die that much." I said to him. Matthew looked at me puzzled._

_"What does die mean?"_

_"Um..." I said, trying to think. "It's what happens to everyone at some point. Their hearts just stop." It was weird talking about that kind of stuff. Like, why does a heart just stop out of no where? Is there no warning?_

_"That's scary..." he whispered, starting another level. I watched the screen, unknowing how scary and sad it really was._

 

 

        My body shakes and trembles as tears turn into sobs. I lean over the coffin, crying onto my brother's red polo shirt. It was his favorite one to wear, seeing as he always had it on. The lids of my eyes become heavy, and a strange feeling overcomes my left eye. Anger fills my heart, and it's the only thing left. Looking down at my brother's lifeless body, I realize something. There is a reason why I am down here. Maybe I am the one who can stop all of this. I must stop all of this. Even the shaking of my arms don't bother me anymore. I look down at the ground, seeing a small puddle. My reflection doesn't stun me like it should have. It's sinister and dark. My left eye burns a violent light purple as my mouth twists into a slick grin. My dark bangs cover my right eye. "I am your vengeance..." I whisper to him before looking up. My hands clench into a fist as I look towards the castle.

 

**"I _am_  determination."**


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She has chosen to fight.

        Sans looks at me when I march by in anger. "Destiny!" he yells, but I keep on going. Anger boils in my veins as I walk through the castle doors. Of course, the pale purple flame is nowhere near close to dying out. Sans tugs on my arm, but I yank it away. "Don't do this, sis, please."

 

        Tears painfully slide down from my eyes. "Sans, I'll be back." I promise. My legs gain the strength to move again, and I start moving through the eerie hallway. It looks as what a church should've, with glass windows holding some sort of symbol on it. Huge white pillars decorate themselves on both sides of every window. It is beautifully eerie, which doesn't make sense one bit. Suddenly, I feel my sins crawling on my back, and it's hard to find the determination to do this. Is it really worth killing myself over? I mean, I have no weapon or even food. But I keep going, even though I am terrified. No... I can't do this...

 

        But I keep going.

 

        The throne room is literally only a few steps away. Taking a deep breath, I walk in slowly.

 

 

_Golden flowers lie in patches across the throne room, which surprised me seeing as this king of theirs was so feared. Ha. I've faced tougher bosses in Mario. King Asgore made Bowser look like Satan. The king was actually sipping from a tea cup on his throne. And while his throne looked pretty awesome, it was the only thing "mighty" about King Asgore Dreemurr. This was going to be fun._

_I approached him carefully. After all, he might be as giddy as every other character here. The big goat-like monster laid his eyes on me, surprised. "Howdy!" The king's voice boomed happily. That was... unexpected... I took a few more steps towards him, clutching my notebook. The metal spirals snugged their way into the palm of my hand uncomfortably. "What's your name, human?"_

_"Um... I'm Matthew..." I answered nervously. Come on, dude. This guy isn't scary. Logically, I can't lose. Unless he kills me with kindness._

_"Matthew... It really is nice to meet you. But I'm afraid-"_

_"I know." I interrupted, yawning. "You need seven human souls to break the barrier. I get it. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't get a fair fight."_   
_"What...?" The king asked. He was obviously shocked. Well, I don't want to stand here and watch him take my soul. Duh. Asgore raised an eyebrow. "What do you propose?"_

_"Well, I want to battle you. If I lose, you can take my soul." I proposed. Although I didn't like the idea, it wasn't like I wasn't prepared to die. "If I win, I will spare you and I'd like to stay." The underground has been pretty cool. I loved the people in it. Goat mom was pretty awesome with her pies and stuff. Honestly, I felt bad for leaving her. Maybe I could've been happy living with her, but to be honest, I really wanted to play my video games at the time. Like Pokemon. It's been a while since I've played it. But I realized that it wouldn't be too bad living here other than the fact that I'd miss my family. And the only way to get home is to acquire a monster soul to get pass the barrier. And I am not killing anything else. I accidentally killed a few froggits without knowing that I could just talk my way through. It made me feel really bad. Normally in video games, you can just kill the monsters and everything would be good. You were the hero._

 

         _But in this instance, I was the villain. I was in their way of going to the surface._

 

         _The king sighed. "Would you like some tea first?" he offered. I nodded my head. It wouldn't matter if I just sat and had some tea. I mean, I'm in no rush to die. The king gave me a glass tea cup, and poured some hot tea into my cup. I pressed the glass to my lips cautiously. Even though it burned my tongue a little, it was pretty sweet. "So, how was your time here in the Underground?"_

_"Pretty good. Although, I miss my family..." I said. "My older sister is probably happy I'm gone, though."_

_"Oh, I wouldn't say that. You never know. My son Asriel had trouble getting along with Chara half the time. It's a part of being siblings. You fight, say things you don't mean... but always know that they'd do anything for you in a heartbeat..." he said softly. "When Chara died, my son went up to the surface to give them their last wish. The humans attacked him... but he took the attack for them. That's how powerful family is."_

_I widened my eyes. The story was sad, but it made me smile a little. Of course, if I die, he'd want me to think that I will be missed. He's trying to make it easier for me. I opened my notebook, and gave him a photo. It was Dest and I, goofing off. Mom always said we could never take a decent picture together. She gave me bunny ears with her fingers, grinning like she was the funniest person on earth. It's been so long, that I've forgot what she looked like. Destiny's big, brown eyes were wide with excitement, and her dark brown hair was half up and half down because mom wanted her to do something other than wear it up all the time. Her cheeks had the illusion of being even more chubby when she grinned. I remember this day. It was the night of the choir concert, and at the time, we were both in choir. This was her last year, though, because her hearing had gotten worse. And even though I'd never admit it, I had the best time. We matched in our red choir polo shirts and dark jeans. The picture even had mom's handwriting at the top. It was supposed to go in my scrapbook, but I wasn't really into the whole 'arts and crafts' thing, so I held onto it. I'm glad I did. "If you ever make it to the surface, could you give this to my sister...?" I asked him. The king grabbed the picture and looked at it. His eyes softened and he grasped the photo._

 

         _"I promise that I will, Matthew." said the king. He sat his tea cup down and stood up. "Now, I'm afraid the time has come." I sat my tea cup down as well, smiling. "Are you ready?"_

 

         _"I'm ready, King Asgore."_

 

         ** _'Destiny, don't do this. You're going to get killed.'_**

 

          
        I inhale sharply, coming back into reality. His voice echos in my mind over and over. Matthew wasn't killed in cold blood. In fact, neither of them wanted to do it. He knew it had to be done. And Matthew is trying to explain that by giving me his memory. My hands shake slightly as I look upon the golden flowers in the throne room.

 

        "Howdy!" Asgore greets happily. He's watering the flowers behind his throne. Well, until he actually sees me. The monster's expression dims to disbelief and fear. "Are you... are you okay?"

 

        My eye burns brighter, and it actually illuminates my right hand. My mouth falls into a frown. I don't want to do this. This causes my heart to become torn. After a moment, I give him a melancholic look. "Howdy." I say raspy.

 

        Then my soul turns dark blue. My eyes widen in surprise, and I'm being lifted into the air. Before I could even come up with an explanation, I'm hastily thrown against the wall head first. There's a loud cracking noise before I fall weightlessly into the patch of golden flowers. "Destiny!" I hear before blacking out.

 

                                                        *                                *                                        *

 

        Beep. Beep. Beep.

 

        "How are you holding up, Doctor?" A deep voice asks in another room. Everything is pitch black and numb. I can't see anything, only hear the conversations as I try to regain consciousness.

 

        "I've been... well, I've been better, your majesty." Another familiar voice says gloomy. "I can explain-" It's Gaster and Asgore talking, I realize.

 

        "No need, Doctor. Your son has already explained." Asgore says dismissively. "I'm not mad, Gaster. It's actually a great discovery. She is proof that we are getting closer to freedom."

 

        There is a deep sigh that fills the air. "Yeah... She's really grown on me since I've found her. I don't know what I'll do if..."

 

        "I know how it feels." He says sympathetically. "I was a wreck when Chara wouldn't wake up. But she is strong. She will want to live. Give it time. I hope she does wake up."

 

        "Thank you, your majesty..." Gaster says. There is more he says, but the footsteps drown the words and they become softer and softer. Now all that remains is silence... and soft crying. The crying is loud enough to give me the boost I needed to flutter my eyes open. The room is a white blur at first, but then it starts appearing more clearly. I'm back at the lab's infirmary. Several memories flood back into my mind, and I really want to slap the stupidity out of me. What the hell was I thinking?

 

        "Destiny...?" Someone asks hopefully. I turn my head painfully to the left, seeing Sans sitting by my bed with tears in his eyes. I smile the best I can. His eyes light up with relief. "Destiny... I'm so sorry..." So it was Sans who threw me against the wall. He stopped me when he knew I wasn't going to stop with my plan.

 

        I glance over to my right at the monitor set up by my bed to see my reflection. I've been changed into a dark gray shirt and my hair is down. There's a breathing tube in my nose, and white gauze is wrapped around my head. So that's why I heard the cracking. I laugh. "Wow, Sans. You really gave me a bad time." It's not far from the truth, seeing as my right eye has a nasty bruise and there's cuts on my cheeks and forehead. Now I'm actually glad I passed out. This would've been really painful. Tears fill Sans' eyes, and my heart drops. "Aww!" I cry weakly. "Don't worry, Sans!" My left arm reaches through the bed's railing and grasps his fingertips. "You just  _crack_  me up!" I joke, trying to add as much power to my voice as possible. I'm not able to hold his hand efficiently, but he grabs mine.

 

        "Dad said that I could've killed you..." he whispers. Now I see that no amount of jokes will cheer him up. All he sees is the reality of almost killing his sister.

 

        "No, you saved me." I try to convince him. "I actually would've died if you hadn't stopped me."

 

        Sans looks down, his eyes full of guilt. "I started to think that you wouldn't wake up." admits the young kid. I sigh softly, smiling the best I could.

 

        "Don't you remember?" I say nonchalantly. "I told you that I wouldn't leave. And I keep my promises." He smiles, leaning over the railing to give me a gentle hug. "Now, can you go get dad for me?" Sans nods before running off. My head lays back down on the soft pillow. Well, it wasn't so bad. I definitely can't move my right arm, which makes me think it's broken. An awful headache pounds inside my head, making me wince. I guess I hit the wall harder than I thought I did.

 

        Gaster appears in the doorway after a few moments. His face is full of relief, but also is full of sadness and worry. "Hey, Dad..." I say weakly. The scientist's eyes widen in surprise, then he smiles. "So tell me, how bad is it?"

 

        "You have a broken arm, a black eye, several cuts-"

 

        "And a partridge in a pear tree?" I joke. He walks over by my bed, shaking his head in disapproval. Even though he doesn't want to encourage me, he chuckles anyway.

 

        "No, Destiny. You also have a skull fracture..." he says darkly. "This was the most troubling of your injuries. But after they stapled and stitched the wound, you seemed to have stabilized. The only problem was... you wouldn't wake up." His voice wobbles in pitch as he tries explaining. How long have I been out? Surely it hasn't been that long. "It's been two days."

 

        "Two days?" I ask, shocked. 

 

        Gaster nods his head sadly. "Sans refused to leave your side, though. Papyrus and I stayed home, so he wouldn't have to see that. Little did I know that the king has been here the whole time." The king has been here for the past two days? I wonder why he would come and stay at his almost- assailant's recovery room. Maybe to punish me? Then again, he said that he hoped I woke up. Most likely, he wanted to be by his Royal Scientist's side while his daughter was recovering. Like Matthew said in his memory, King Asgore isn't a bad guy. We are the only obstacles in the way of their freedom. "In fact, he would like to see you." Gaster says, turning around.

 

        "So, um, how much trouble am I in...?" I ask curiously. Gaster chuckles evilly.

 

        "You nearly committed regicide. What do you think?" He asks before smiling brightly. The scientist turned back around and held my hand. "I'm just glad you are alright, my daughter." Gaster kisses my forehead before turning around and leaving the room. A smile plasters itself onto my face, and tears threaten my eyes, but I don't let them. When Toriel said that I might not be happy living down here, I thought she read my mind. But I realize now that family isn't the people who share the same blood as you. It's the people who care about your safety, your happiness, you. They don't have to be related to you to love you like their own. I've gotten more love and compassion from this skeleton family than I had in the long while since Matthew had disappeared. And that has to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

 

        Asgore walks in after a while with a patient smile. He makes his way by my bed, and he sits in the chair. At this point, my eyes can hardly stay open without me forcing them open. When I gain the courage to look over at him, my eyes are filled with regret and guilt. "Howdy." The king says softly. I start to open my mouth, when he stops me. "Now, before you say anything, I want you to know that I am not mad. I understand what you're going through. I went through it all. And I know I can never right the wrongs I have committed, but understand that I did not have a choice."

 

        "I know..." I say softly. The king looks at me with his dark eyes, like he's trying to figure me out.

 

        "I must apologize for what happened. But your brother knew what had to be done. And he wanted to go down fighting." Asgore admits. "Your brother also... told me that if we ever made it to the surface... to give you this." He pulls out a photograph from his pocket and hands it to me. I grasp it in my left hand, looking at it marvelously. It was the same photo from Matthew's memory. "I still kept it after the fight. After all, it was the least I could do since I could not fulfill my own child's last wish."

 

        My eyes water at the thought. He did this for my brother. He gave him his last wish.  "Thank you, your majesty..." I whisper. The king nods happily.

 

        Papyrus runs in the room, smiling at me. "DESTINY! IT'S BEEN SO LONG!" He yells happily, standing next to Asgore. "HOW ARE YOU FEELING?"

 

        "I'm good, Papy." I grin, ignoring the pain. I guess the numbness is disappearing. "How's my brother doing?"

 

        "DOING GREAT, AS ALWAYS! BUT, YOU MADE ME WORRY..." he admits. I reach for his shoulder and smile. He smiles back, and carefully gives me a hug. I hug back the best I could, trying not to move my cast. Sans and Gaster enter the room. Sans is holding some flowers and Gaster has what looks like some potato chips. Everyone is here for me. It makes me hold Papyrus tighter.

 

        "Don't worry, Papy. I'll always be here to protect you." 


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas in the Underground!

Gaster tightens the cloth of the sling for my arm. I grimace, with the movement on my right arm causing harsh pain. I've been in the infirmary for almost a week now, and today I am finally able to go home. Of course, luckily for me, it's just in time for Christmas Eve, which Papyrus has informed me was today. He has been excited all week, saying that Santa was going to give him what he wanted for Christmas because he was a good skeleton this year. His enthusiasm alone was what got me to wake up every day while being here. One night, Papyrus had a nightmare, and he came down here to see me. At first I was confused, being I was just given an injection to help heal my fractured skull. Then I made him cuddle up on the bed with me, wrapping my left arm around him. It was nice and peaceful. 

 

 

  
  
         _"WILL YOU SING ME A LULLABY?" The little skeleton asked. I chuckled. "PLEASE?" he begged, giving me big puppy dog eyes._  
         _"Okay, Papy..." I relented, holding him close. My eyes closed as I begun to sing. "You are my sunshine. My only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray." I took a deep breath, trying not to cry. This was a very emotional song. But I could tell Papyrus was loving it, because his head was nuzzled into my stomach. "You'll never know, Pap, how much I love you. So please, don't take my sunshine away." Papyrus fell asleep, smiling. My left hand started rubbing his head._

 

 

  
  
        "Are you ready for Christmas, my amazing Destiny?" Gaster asks, smiling. It would be the first Christmas with my new family. Why wouldn't I be excited?  
        "Yeah, I guess.." I reply disappointingly. "I'm just going to miss doing all of my family traditions..." Every Christmas since I could remember, we've always had these little traditions that always stuck for me. On Christmas Eve. right before bed, we would make s'mores over a candle because we didn't really have a fireplace. And on Christmas morning, we would wake up early and open our presents. Then we would have cinnamon rolls for breakfast. It was the highlight of Christmas for me, and it's hard to imagine that I'd miss them. 

 

 

  
        "What traditions did you have?" He asks curiously.

 

 

        "Well, right before bed on Christmas Eve, we'd make s'mores, which is a roasted marshmallow on a gram cracker with chocolate. And on the following morning, we'd wake up early and have cinnamon rolls for breakfast." I say excitedly. My smile falters when I realize the harsh reality. I'm not up there. I'm down here... And it's strange, thinking about how far I've come. If someone told me that I'd end this year underground living with monsters, I'd probably laugh in disbelief. But now that I've actually fell down here and seen what it has to offer, well, it wasn't as bad if you exclude all the experiments. And even then those weren't that bad in the end. Ind the end I gained love, and that's something I never thought I'd actually need.

 

 

  
        He must have noticed, because I am embraced by a warm and endearing hug. A smile comes back to me as I try my best to hug back. It isn't really successful, but it did make him laugh. "Destiny, why didn't you just say something?" Gaster says with a smile. "We could've done something if you really wanted."

 

 

  
        "I know. It's just... I guess this is just so new to me..." I admit shyly. And it was. This is still something that just happened to me. And I know it's silly to think this, but I really don't deserve a second chance. Sometimes I would have these nightmares about losing Sans and Papyrus. Some were a bit fuzzy once I woke up, but others became clear as day. Of course, Sans and Papyrus are older, and not really how I have imagined them. The same person appears in ever dream as well, and while I could never actually see them, there's something sinister about them. And I know it's hard to believe, and dreams are just dreams, but... this felt more real than anything I've seen before. Like the dream was telling me something. But, like I always tell myself, dreams are just dreams.

 

 

  
        "You are family, Destiny. It's understandable to feel a bit out of place." He finishes adjusting my makeshift sling and takes a step back. I'll be in a cast for maybe a month, if I'm lucky. It's not a bad fracture, but they don't know how long it will actually take to heal. I've never actually broken a limb either. Guess there's a first time for everything. "It'll be a great first Christmas, I promise. Besides, we always have Sans' recital tomorrow as well." That's right! I remember worrying if I'd be given the okay in time for Sans' trombone recital. He's been so excited, and well, I am too. My brother was never interested in music, no matter how much I tried. Except for maybe choir, but even then he said he was going to quit because of the new teacher. But having a brother who loves music such as I do? This was something that thrilled me to no end. And I am going to be there at his recital, even if it means going with a stapled skull and a broken arm. Nothing will make me miss this.

 

 

  
        The next thing I have to put on is the gauze for my head again. This is a precaution so that the stitches won't fall out or something. After that is taken care of, I slide a gray winter hat over the wrappings, which covers most of the gauze. It's something Sans gave me to wear so I don't look like a zombie. Although, I think it'd be wise to actually look like a monster instead of going on as a human. The monsters in the underground, I've been warned, might want to attack me if they don't know I'm half monster, technically. But they have good intentions. Don't we all?

 

 

  
        Sans walks in slowly, watching me steadily. "I'm ready to take you home, Dest."

 

 

  
        My eyes widen in shock. "Why aren't you going to take me home?" I ask Gaster softly. The scientist's eyes darts away from mine as I demand for an answer. He looks a little uneasy from my look.

 

 

  
        "I, uh... have some things I need to finish up in the lab." answers Gaster.

 

 

  
        I scrunch my eyebrows in disbelief. "On Christmas Eve?"

 

 

  
        He slides his lab coat on over his black sweater. "It's just for a little bit, then I am free for the rest of the next several days." promises Gaster before kissing my forehead. Then he goes to do the same with Sans, making Sans smile. "I love you." And just like that, he's gone. It shouldn't really hurt so much that he left. I mean, I'm used to having people leave. It's a part of life, right? They come. They take. And they leave, leaving me to pick up the pieces. Well, I should know. It's a part of my life. But I know he will come back, and even though there are doubts in my mind, I can't help but to be optimistic. No one here will ever leave me.

 

 

  
        Sans places a hand on the small of my back, and helps guide me to the elevator. There are worrying symptoms of a fractured skull, like seizures and vomiting. And some not-so-worrying symptoms, such as dizziness and confusion. I must admit that I would throw up a lot at the beginning, but after a while of injections, it gradually disappeared. Luckily, there hasn't been any seizures. I guess I have luck to thank for that. "Don't fret about it, Destiny." Sans says calmly as he presses the button to our floor. "Nothing bad will happen. Besides, it won't take him long."

 

 

  
        "I know. It's for the greater good, right?" I say, trying my best to be positive about it, but my fake smile quickly falters. My head starts to spin and I stumble back against the elevator's railing. Sans quickly grabs my hand to balance me again. "Sorry, Sans... I'm okay." I confirm. "Guess I just... um..."

 

 

  
        "Don't hurt yourself trying to be funny." He laughs. "Don't stress about it, Destiny. That's why you're getting dizzy."  _Ding_. The elevator opens to our floor, and we walk to the door. Sans starts doing some secret knock, and before he finishes, Papyrus opens the door with no hesitation. His eyes light up when he sees up, and gives me the tightest hug he can. I've never seen anyone with enthusiasm as energetic as his. And I hope he never loses it when he gets older. Matthew used to have the same enthusiasm, but after he turned ten, he became more and more reclusive in his room. He rather stay in his room playing video games than hanging out with his sister. It was rare to see him anymore unless he needed to use the bathroom or get his meal. It's interesting how much a person changed since the last time you've seen them. He would wear his glasses less and his hair would be messier than his normally straight hairstyle. Matthew became more tired and cranky due to long nights playing video games. This change was unsettling to me. Yeah, sure, I played video games on my own, but blocking out everyone I love out? Maybe he didn't need his big sister after all. And when he secluded himself, I felt the need to run and hide in my room as well. There was no point if no one needed me, right?

 

 

  
        "How's my little sunshine doing?" I ask with a smile. Papyrus releases me from his grasp and grins.

 

 

  
        "HOW AM I?" He asks surprised, like I should have known the answer already. " IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE! I AM DOING GREAT!"

 

 

  
        I laugh at his excitement. "Well, you'll definitely get what you want for Christmas. You have been a good skeleton." Papyrus's mouth curls into a frown and his eyes squint in confusion.

 

 

        "BUT I ALREADY GOT WHAT I WANTED." He says. "ALL I WANTED WAS FOR YOU TO BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!" A short gasp escapes my mouth, and I fight back tears. I pull Papyrus and Sans into a tight hug, grinning. Sans hesitates, possibly out of shock, but then hugs back happily. The younger brother accepts the hug, resting his head on my shoulder. So this is how it feels to be needed... It's been so long since I've actually felt that someone truly cared not because they had to, but because they wanted to. Who knew monsters had more compassion than humans?

 

 

  
        "I love you guys so much..." I whisper softly. At that point, tears are streaming down my eyes. I stand up again, squeezing them one last time before Sans guides me to our room.

 

 

  
        Sans takes his trombone out of the case after he lays me down. The shaking in his left hand as he holds his instrument is visible, and it makes me think about how nervous he must really be. I mean, he is playing several songs by himself. If it was me, I'd be terrified. It was hard for me just to perform my solo pieces at my last concert. Shifting myself on the bed, I turn to get a better look at him from behind his stand. "Hey, Sans. Don't worry about it." I try to soothe with a calm voice. Sans looks from above his stand and gives his best shot at a smile. "They won't know you messed up unless you let them know."

 

 

  
        "I know, but... what if i do show them I messed up?" Sans asks hopelessly. 

 

 

  
        "Then keep going. But you're not going to mess up. You've been at this for weeks." I laugh softly. Sans adjusts his sheet music and grins at me.

 

 

  
        "Thanks, Dest. You will be there, right?" He asks. 

 

 

  
        "Wouldn't miss it for anything. I'll be in the front row cheering you on."  
  
                                        *                                                *                                                *  
  
        Sans practices his pieces when there's a gentle knock at the door. Gaster peers his head in, smiling a patient smile. "Destiny. Sans. I have a special treat for you two." He says softly. I slide off the bed with ease, grinning as Sans and I walk into the living room with a gentle pace. The scientist stands next to his youngest son, slicing up a pie. "Well, Destiny, since I had no time to find the ingredients for S'mores, I went and bought a cinnamon pie and several cinnamon buns for in the morning." Gaster explains. "I hope these are fine. I know it's not your normal traditions, but..."

 

 

  
        "I love it..." I whisper in awe. He did this all for me? It truly is amazing and unbelievable. My legs start to eagerly move towards him, and I wrap my arms around his thin waist happily. "You didn't have to do this for me..."

 

 

  
        "Of course I did." He says with a grin, rubbing my back. "You're family now, Destiny."

 

 

  
        Gaster starts putting a slice of cinnamon pie on each person's place, handing them out as he goes. I grab my plate from him, and I start to feel a nice warm feeling inside. I can't believe he did this for me. Maybe it's hard to believe that people would go so far for my happiness. I take a bite of my pie, enjoying the nice, sweet taste in my mouth. This is the best pie I have ever tasted. Looking over at Sans and Papyrus, they have the biggest sugar-induced smiles on their faces. It makes me smile as well.

 

 

  
        We all eventually sit around the Christmas tree in the corner, enjoying some hot cocoa and pie. Sans tells some pretty funny jokes, and Papyrus doesn't like some of them, which makes me laugh. Gaster tells a Christmas story about his brother and sister. "My sister was one of those women who knew what needed to me done. She was strong and a bit outstanding in everything she did. She'd help our mother with the house, and I was around Papyrus's age at the time. So, at around noon on Christmas day, she was making the greatest Christmas feast my eyes have ever seen! But dinner wasn't for a few more hours, and I was dying to have some turkey!" Gaster tells vividly, using his hands to add more life to the story. "So my brother, Bo, looked at me. I guess he saw my expression because he said, 'Wing Dings, don't even think about taking a leg. Mari always finds out. If you are to take something, take a roll. She'll never know.' And I did. It was the most buttery roll I have ever tasted! And Marion didn't find out. That is, until dinnertime, when we all sat around the table, she was eyeing me carefully. I figured she had figured out. After all, guilt was painted on my face. Then she grabbed a roll, and held it in front of my eyes. Marion said, 'Wing Din Gaster! You took one of my precious rolls, didn't you?' in the sassiest voice I've ever heard. At that point, I broke down, pleading in wing dings for forgiveness. Then she bent down and hugged me tightly, giving me another roll. Afterwards we laughed about how Bo tricked me. That'll always be my greatest memory of my family." I smile in amazement. "Never forget what family really is. Even in the darkest of times."

 

 

  
        "That was a great story, dad." I smile brightly. The way he told his stories made me want to hear more about him and his family. But then he announces that it is time for bed, and everyone, including me, groans. I don't want it to end. This is probably one of my most memorable Christmases, and all we've done was tell stories and jokes. Sans and I go into our room while Gaster carries Papyrus to his room. I slide under the covers, half awake. Before I start dozing off, Gaster walks into the room slowly. He gives a passed out Sans a kiss on his head and proceeds to kiss my forehead gently.

 

 

  
        "Merry Christmas, Destiny." He whispers.

 

 

  
        "Merry Christmas to you, too, Dad..." I say sleepily before passing out.

 

 

  
                                        *                                        *                                          *

 

 

  
  
        "DESTINY! DESTINY!" A voice screams excitedly. "It'S CHRISTMAS! WAKE UP!"

 

 

  
        My eyes flutter over to see Papyrus standing next to my bed, shaking my left shoulder. His face is illuminated with the greatest smile I've ever seen. A laugh croaks from my throat. "Oh, Papyrus. I'm coming, I'm coming." I sit up the best I can without hitting my head, and slide out of bed slowly. My legs wobble at first, but then forces themselves to start moving. I walk into the living room, where Papyrus, Gaster, and Sans are sitting next to a tree full of gifts. Smiling, I take a seat on the carpet next to Sans. Gaster passes out the gifts, handing me a tall rectangular present.  _To Destiny. From Sans._

 

 

  
        "I figured you'd like this." Sans says, seeing my gift. I tear at the bright red wrapping paper until I can see what it is. It's a sketch book with several different pencils. Grinning, I hug Sans. He laughs before opening his own gift. Another present is handed to me, with bright red and green wrappings. _FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, TO DESTINY._

 

 

  
        "IT'S SOMETHING I SAW THAT I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE!" Papyrus says happily. Tearing at the wrapping paper carefully, I see a cute little clothed doll with brown yarn for hair. This is so adorable. "IT REMINDED ME OF YOU!"

 

 

  
        I am given one last family gift from Gaster.  _ **To Destiny, from Dad.**_  I grin at the small box covered in snowflakes. My hands open it up to see a nice black camera. "I love all these gifts. Thank you." 

 

 

  
        "No problem, Destiny." Gaster says softly. He passes out all the gifts from Santa, and we tear through them excitingly. I got several pairs of clothes, a journal with some fancy pens, a star pendent necklace, and a more updated cell phone that can send and receive texts. I absolutely love all of these gifts. It's incredible.

 

 

  
        "Let's take a picture!" I suggest excitingly. Opening the box where the camera is, I turn it on. "Say cheese!" Everyone crowds behind me with huge smiles on their faces.  _Click._  I snap the picture.

 

 

  
        "That was snap-tastic, Dest." Sans jokes. I laugh deeply. That's pretty funny. Gaster helps open Papyrus's toys while Sans opens up the joke book he got. Yep. This has to be my favorite Christmas.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans' big recital is tonight.

       Sans is blasting through his songs one last time before we leave for his recital. I am in one of my new outfits, which is a plain red dress that goes down to my knees. Of course, I have no other shoes to wear, so I have to keep my bright read converses on. It didn't look awful, but the contrasts of the shoes and the dress clashed a little. I normally don't wear dresses, but I have to look nice for my brother's recital. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be doing anything drastic anyways.

 

  
        Papyrus runs out of his room in his usual pale orange sweater and beige pants, but with a red bow tie instead of his scarf. I've never seen him without his scarf. Even when he goes to bed, he always has it on. Maybe there's a story to that. Either way, he always has a big smile on his face, which makes me smile as well.

 

 

        "Sans, it's time to go." Gaster calls. There's a few more notes before it abruptly stops. I don't blame him for being so nervous. When I had to do my solo in front of everyone at the concert, my entire body was shaking...

 

 

  
  
         _"Our next soloist will be our trumpet player, Destiny, who will play a little piece called 'Legend'" My band teacher announced. I slowly rise from my seat, grabbing my music from my stand. One of the senor trumpet players wished me luck. A lump formed in my throat._ **You know this song, Destiny. You've practiced it for months.** _I reminded myself. Just because my mom and grandma is here, doesn't mean I should be nervous. So when I got set up to play, I took a deep breath before starting. Each note came out smooth, with the exception of a few. And when I hit the finishing note, a high B natural, I held onto the note as if it was a lifeline before letting go. Then the applause that I absolutely live for came. It felt good to see my hard work appreciated, but that didn't stop me from doubting myself._  
        "You did great, sissy!" Mom said when she met up with me afterwards. Her comment made me grin. At least I could do something right. She tried fixing her red, curly hair that was left down. The thing about my mom and I is simple: We are exact opposites. She had me when she was seventeen, and never really grew up, so she lived more of the young life. I don't even like being around smoke. She is more of the girly girl type, and I much rather wear a baggy old hoodie and jeans while playing video games. But one thing is for sure, she is my own little cheerleader. Mom was the one who talked my dad into letting me play the trumpet back in fifth grade. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be where I am today.  
        "Thanks." I said meekly. Next I was going to my drama after party, so I was pretty ecstatic. And I won my first trophy tonight for being the most improved. It was shocking, but I tried not to cry. I've never won anything.  
        "I'm always proud of you." She said, giving me a hug. "No matter what you do, I'll support and love you."

 

 

 __  
  
*                                  *                                *

 

 

  
  
        The concert hall is in the capital, so it didn't take us long to get there. There are crowds of monsters in the stands as I look from behind the curtain. Sans made me come backstage with him so he could show me some of his classmates. And seeing all of these young monsters really makes me stand out. Gaster said that I shouldn't worry about anyone attacking me. I know I should trust his judgment, but it doesn't make me any less nervous.

 

 

  
        Sans tugs on my dress and points to someone in the crowd of performers. She's a tall, fish-like monster with a dark blue complexion and a fiery red ponytail. "That's Undyne," He whispers to me softly. "She's the toughest monster at school. It's said that she even trains with the king herself."

 

 

  
        "The king?" I ask softly, trying not to be heard. The king takes his own time to train someone so young. Now that I look at her though, she does seem to be older than me. Undyne is wearing a white dress with a black leather jacket over it and combat boots, so she kind of looks awesome. "How old is she anyways?"

 

 

  
        "She's a senior at school, so probably eighteen or nineteen." says Sans. 

 

 

  
        "Wow..." I whisper in awe. So she is a couple of years older than me. That's pretty amazing. I look over at Undyne again, who's twirling a drum stick between two fingers while talking to some people. A drummer. I don't know why that's a shock, but it certainly fits her character. I knew a couple of drummers who were really cool and laid back. But Undyne seems like the opposite of relaxed.

 

 

  
        While scanning the crowd of students, I see a small ghost all by themselves in the corner of the room. They look... sad. "Sans," I whisper, pointing to them. "Who's that?"

 

 

  
        Sans squints his eyes, like he sees a threat. "Oh, Papyrus calls them 'Happstablook'. They're Napstablook's cousin." He says in a cold whisper. "I'd stay away from them. They always go on about how they're going to be a star."

 

 

  
        I laugh a little. "They look harmless!"

 

 

  
        "Dest, it's best you stay away from them. I rather have Undyne _talk_ to you than Happstablook hang out with you." says Sans. He tugs on my good arm, but I head towards the corner. "What are you doing?"

 

 

  
        "Trust me." I smile at him. He looks at me with disbelief before I turn and make my way to the ghost. I lean against the wall. "What's wrong?"

 

 

 

        Happstablook looks up at me, with their "bangs" falling above their right eye. They smile profusely. "Oh, nothing's wrong, darling! Just... thinking."

 

 

  
        "About what?" I ask curiously, leaning in a little. A smile tugs it's way onto my cheek.

 

 

  
        "Well, I dream of being a star." They say passionately, with their eyes lighting up. It is adorable, seeing the fire in their eyes. "But alas, I do not have the perfect body."

 

 

  
        "Why do you need a body?" I ask softly. "I think you shine already."

 

 

  
        They frown. "I've never felt like I've... fit in." I know how that feels. Not knowing a thing about what others know. How insecure you become over the years because of that feeling. But I don't say that out loud. "My cousin, Blooky, has accepted that fact. But I don't know if I can. At least when I find a body that suits me, I can become corporeal. I can be the star that the monsters and humans need."

 

 

  
        "That's a good dream." I say softly. "Just follow your dreams. I mean, I was an actor."

 

 

        "Oh, really?" Happstablook asks excitingly.

 

 

  
        I shrug my shoulders with a grin. Pride starts sinking in as I realize their excitement. "Yeah, I was in theater." Last year, I started acting in my school's theater club. It was so much fun to do, and on the night of the performance, I could show everyone who I am. I can really shine. Theater made me come out of my shell more, and it's something I love. I guess it's the one time I feel like I can shine like a star. "And it's all about letting yourself shine. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. You can do anything you set your mind to."

 

 

  
        Their eyes sparkle a little. "Thank you, darling." Happstablook whispers happily.

 

 

  
        "No problem." I smile. In the corner of my eye, I can see Papyrus looking at me. He finally sees me and beckons me to come with him. I guess it's showtime. "Listen, I have to go. But..." My eyes look for anything to write with. There's a pen and a scrap piece of colored paper on the floor. My hands quickly reach down for them, and I scrawl my phone number on the paper. "Here's my number. I hope we can hang out some time." I say, handing them the piece of paper. Waving goodbye, I turn and follow my little brother to our seats. Gaster is there, smiling as he looks through the program. We take our seats quickly before it starts.

 

 

  
        "Look at him." says Gaster, leaning in to show me the program. On the left side of the page, it shows a cute little picture of Sans holding his trombone. He's grinning at the camera, like he always does. Below his picture is his name and a description.

 

 

  
  
        _**Sans is a freshman trombone player this year, and has been playing for six years now. He is fifteen years old, and enjoys telling jokes and doing anything science related. Sans is the proud brother of Papyrus and his older sister Destiny. The pieces he will be playing are "O Christmas Tree", "Up on the Rooftop", and "Silent Night". Sans is the son of Wing Din Gaster.**_

 

 

  
  
        A faint smile shines on my face. He really is the best brother in the world. "I couldn't be a more prouder father." Gaster whispers. "You all are going to do great things, I know it." I smile as the lights start to dim. Papyrus sits on the edge of his seat excitedly. Of course I am really excited. This is my brother's big performance.

 

 

  
        The crowd silences as a white bunny-like monster walks onto the stage. She wears a classy black dress while holding a microphone. "Welcome, everyone!" The announcer greets cheerfully. "Our first performer tonight is our only freshman trombone player, Sans the Skeleton!" She claps with everyone while walking off stage. Murmurs could be heard throughout the crowd, saying 'Isn't that the son of the Royal Scientist?' or 'That boy's dad was a great musician.' But as soon as the screeching red curtain in being drawn back, everything silences. Sans stands on the stage with his trombone resting on his shoulder. His eyes scan the crowd until the reach mine. I give him a thumbs up, and from there, he begins. Every note comes out from the brass horn delicately, as if even one missed position would break it. And it's beautiful to hear his hard work finally come to life. I close my eyes and try to imagine the picture he tried so hard to paint. A faint tree starts appearing more vividly, with long, lovely branches as tinsel and small ornaments are carefully placed. The scene illuminates in a bright cyan color. And when I flutter my eyes open again, Sans finishes his first song with a smile. I cheer among others before he starts the next song.

 

 

  
        As I am watching him perform the next song, a swift change in the corner of my right eye forces me to glance over. There's emptiness in the seat on my right. Where did Gaster go? I quickly stand up and look back towards the entrance. He is running out the front doors in a rush. What the hell is he doing?

 

 

  
        My legs rush themselves up the aisle, trying to catch up. Sans is still playing, so hopefully he won't notice us gone for a few moments. I rush out the door, looking around. He's no where to be found. Where could he have gone in the middle of his son's performance? The thought boils in my blood as I pull out my phone. My fingers tap ferociously at the dial pad, and I press it against my ear.  _Ring. Ring. Ring. Click._

 

 

 _  
_ "Destiny?" A rough, husky voice asks on the other line. In the background I can hear several alarms going off faintly. "I can't talk right now. Please tell Sans my apologies. This is an emergency."

 

 

  
        "Wait, where-"  _Click._ He hangs up. I grip my phone in frustration. Then it hits me- I can teleport. Reaching deep inside, I let my left eye turn a pale yellow. Then I try to remember where he could've gone. Wait, I have an idea...

 

 

  
        I think of the place, and walk through the shortcut.

 

 

  
  
                                                *                                        *                                        *

 

 

  
  
        The Core is an invention that Gaster has been working on. Intentions aside, it does seem a bit... dangerous. Why would he make this so big? Sighing, I rush inside. Okay, what can possibly be so important?

 

 

  
        Bright red flashing lights flicker in alarm. Smoke rises as if something is overheating. Gaster fumbles over several panels, flipping switches like he doesn't understand what's going on. The lights make my head ache as I try to grasp what's going on myself. He turns to look at me. "Destiny!" He yells in panic. "You have to go."

 

 

  
        "What's going on?" I shout over the alarm.

 

 

  
        "Just, go!" He yells. "Take care of Sans and Papyrus for me." The scientist hurries to the panels again. I take a step towards him confidently. There has to be something I can do to help. I just can't leave him here.

 

 

  
        "I'm not leaving." I yell sternly. Gaster looks behind his shoulder, and mumbles something I can not hear over the alarms. After a moment, I run over to the panels. Several of them are bursting with steam and feel hot to the touch. Maybe that's what he meant. The Core isn't stabilizing enough for me to be safe here.

 

 

  
        A small hand tugs at my dress. My eyes glance over to see Sans, still in his pale blue dress shirt and black slacks. His eyes stare at me, eating me up inside. I promised him I'd be there to watch him perform, and I left in the middle of his performance. If he has any resentment towards me, it doesn't show. Instead, Sans pushes me out of the way carefully, and goes to work on the steaming panel. I watch as the two skeletons quickly begin to work. After a few moments, Sans stops. "I'm going to go shut down the power!" He yells, running off. Gaster glances over at him before he left with a pained expression. Something's wrong. I can feel it. And while feeling this unsettling feeling in my chest, my legs start shaking. What's going on?

 

 

  
        Before I could think, puffs of hot steam burst in front of my face. Closing my eyes in pain, I stumble back clumsily. My back slams into something hard, and I fall limb onto the ground, unable to see. When I open my eyes, my vision blurs. My eyes sting from the hotness, and begin to water. I keep them open so they can start focusing again. Everything comes back into view, and the first thing I see is the hard, metal floor. "Destiny!" A rough voice calls out from behind the railing. Gaster?  
        I look over the railing to see the scientist gripping onto the edge. His black outfit is tattered and worn, and sweat slides down his face. My jaw drops in worry. "H-hold on!" I stutter, getting onto my knees. I use my left hand to hold on the rail, and in a hastily move, I yank my bandaged arm out from the sling. Grimacing in pain, I offer it to him. My right arm is stronger than my left, so I'll be able to pull him up easier.I can't lose him. I can't.

 

 

  
        Gaster gives me a shocked expression. "I can't... you'll be in pain."

 

 

  
        "I'll be in even more pain if you fall in. Just grab it." I plead to him. His fingers begin sliding from the edge.

 

 

  
        "Please... take care of my sons." He mumbles. My right hand tries to grab his, but I am too late. Gaster loses grip, and falls into his creation. The alarm and lights shut off abruptly, making the room go dark. All at once, I feel my heart shattering. Tears threaten to pour out, and for once, I let them.

 

 

  
        A pair of arms wrap me in a gentle embrace. Looking up, I see Sans with tears in his eyes as well. He saw what happened. "It's okay..." He reassures me. "We're going to be okay."

 

 

  
        "I'm sorry..." My voice squeaks, letting out a sob. Sans holds me tightly, trying not to cry as well. I couldn't save him...

 

 

  
        "It's not your fault." He says. Something burns inside me, growing more and more painful. It feels as if my soul is being ripped and torn apart. I yelp out in pain, cradling my soul with both hands when it appears. The soul is small and fragile, like a newborn baby. Tiny cracks form on the purple side of soul, making it hurt worse and worse. It stops when I hold my soul in the palms of my hands, fading into one faint scar on my human soul.

 

 

  
        My eyes widen. "What does this mean?" I ask Sans cautiously.

 

 

  
        "You can't live with half a soul. No one can." He answers. "So when he fell in, his part in your soul became unresponsive. So your human soul started breaking. But since his became responsive as you held it, the soul just... became your own."

 

 

  
        "So before... our souls were linked...?" I ask softly. Gaster felt everything I did physically. That means he felt the pain I did when Sans knocked me into the wall. How come he never told me...?

 

 

  
        "Yes, in a way. I didn't know until you were hospitalized. He said that you would always be linked to him. But since he's 'gone', his soul will have trouble responding." Sans tries explaining, but it just becomes jumbled up in my mind. "I know, it's confusing. The point is, your human soul is becoming aware that it's not whole, so it was breaking. But since his soul told it that it actually is whole again, the soul stopped. This means we might have trouble with it later on." I nod, having nothing else to really say. My heart is breaking, and now my soul is as well.

 

 

  
        "SANS?" A high pitched voice yells out. Papyrus stands in the doorway, holding onto the end of his bright red scarf. He looks confused.

 

 

  
        "Papyrus?" I call out, happy to see him. My right arm slides back into the sling as I stand back up. The dress is surprisingly only dusty. Of course, I didn't really do anything. "Oh, it's so nice to see you!"

 

 

  
        "IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU TOO, STRANGER!" He says with an awkward smile. Stranger? "WHO ARE YOU?" Papyrus doesn't remember me?

 

 

  
        "It's Destiny, your sister." I say softly. "Don't you remember me?"

 

 

  
        He thinks for a moment. "NO, I DON'T REMEMBER HAVING A SISTER." Papyrus answers. He shrugs. "BUT I'M HAPPY TO HAVE ONE!"

 

 

  
        "You don't remember when Dad brought me home?" I ask him curiously. My hands are shaking. How can he not remember me?

 

 

  
        The young skeleton shakes his head. "YOU MUST BE MISTAKEN! I DO NOT HAVE A DAD." He says. That's when it hits me. It's not that he doesn't remember me. He doesn't remember Gaster. And if he doesn't remember him, it'll be hard for him to remember me without becoming confused. I walk towards him, and give him a one armed hug.

 

 

  
        "My bad." I whisper to him. "You, Sans, and I? We're family." A weak smile tugs at my lips. While I am broken inside, I'm strong for him. Sans walks over and grins. Even though Papyrus doesn't remember him, we will be strong for him. "Tú eres mi hermanos."  ** _You are my brothers_** , I whisper to myself. "Forever and always." Papyrus smiles, embracing Sans and I into a tight hug. I hug back, never wanting to let go.  ** _I promise to protect you both._**  And I will keep that promise. Nothing will happen to them. I am determined to keep them safe.

 

 

  
  
  
  
                                                                        **End of Act One.**


	10. Act Two: Chapter Nine

 

                                                                                         **Act Two: 10 Years Later**

 

         _The kid looked around eight, with chin-length chestnut hair and a patient and kind expression. They say first impressions say a lot about a person's character. I'd only just met them, and I already want to protect them. The young child smiles patiently at me. Extending my hand, I gave them a small grin. "Hey. I'm Destiny, Sans and Papyrus' sister."_

__  
The child hesitantly touches my hand, their expression is very questionable of me. I wouldn't have understood it either if I was them. "Yeah, I know. How could a human be related to skeletons? Well..." I took a deep breath, looking back at the snowy scene behind me. This forest does seem lonely. And cold. And it seems very dark. And cold. "That is a very long story. But I am not just a human. I am also a monster." It was true, anyways. Having half of a monster soul made me half monster. Sans said that souls worked like genetics- human souls are dominant in certain things, and monster souls are dominant in others. One way monster souls dominate the human soul is that when I die, I will turn to dust instead of my body just remaining. I don't know why that is, but he swears that his theory is correct. I hope that I never have to find out. One thing that puts his theory in the light is the sheer fact that I stopped aging physically. I mean, seriously, I'm twenty-six years old now, but physically I look the same as I did when I was sixteen. Sans told me that "immortality" dominants "mortality". How he explained it was, and he sugar-coated it, our dad was pretty powerful (and I know this just by seeing the wrong side of him) and that causes his soul power to flow his children so they could age. If I was just a human, it wouldn't work. But since he took away half of my human soul and gave me half of a monster soul to bind together and make one "normal" soul, that would apply to me since I am a monster. When he disappeared, my soul started having problems. I think it was after a couple of years that we noticed that I still looked the same. Of course, that's when Sans told me that I will forever look sixteen freaking years old until I had my own child so my soul power would flow to them. So I think I'm staying sixteen for a while.

_"A monster...?" They asked softly. I nodded, seeing as that is all I can do. What else can I tell the kid? Oh, a monster no one remembers did painful experiments on me when I fell down here myself, and that's what I'm half human, half monster. But don't worry, he adopted me and we were a happy family until he fell into the void and left Sans, Papyrus, and I by ourselves. On second thought, I really shouldn't say that. The kid smiled playfully, and grabbed my hand. My eyes widened in shock. They... they aren't scared of me? They don't think I'm some freak? "Let's go!"_

__  
_A small chuckle escapes my lips. "Okay, kid. We're very determined, aren't we?" I said, smiling kindly at them._ **** __<   
The harsh light peers through my closed eyes as I return to consciousness. I can hear my door creak open, and the steps of my younger yet certainly taller brother, Papyrus. How do I know that it's him? Well, it's the same routine every morning. He comes and wakes me up, then we prepare for the day. Papyrus has grown to me, and remembers more about me since Gaster fell into the void. But he doesn't remember him. In fact, no one does. Sans and I learned the hard way when we realized that we had no home to go to. Since the home is reserved for the Royal Scientist, we simply cannot reside there. We ended up going to a small, comfy home in a quiet town called Snowdin. It's nice, I suppose. I mean, home is where family is.

  
        There's a slight shove on my shoulder. My eyes flutter open to see Papyrus looking down at me. He's in his white t-shirt that says 'Cool Dude' with basketballs as sleeves as well as the shortest shorts I've seen on a guy. "What are you wearing, Papy?" I mumble sleepily. 

  
        Papyrus stands up straight, grinning. "THESE ARE MY COOL CLOTHES." He says happily. There is no way that he is twenty-one years old now. He's just so sweet and precious. "SANS COMES HOME TODAY! WE NEED TO GET UP AND PREPARE!" Oh, yeah. Sans does come home today. He's been away at school for several years now, trying to follow in his father's footsteps. Well, maybe he was. Last night when we talked on the phone, he told me that he wasn't sure that he wanted to finish college. Seeing as my parents conceived me when they were in their late teens, and my mom got her GED and my dad never really finished his first year of college, I was skeptical of this. Of course, Sans wasn't dropping out to start a family (if that was the case I would've killed him), but I grew up watching my dad struggle in his job, moving furniture and getting hurt. He always told my brother and I to finish college and get good, high paying jobs so we wouldn't struggle. Now, I don't know what Gaster would've wanted for us, but I do know that he'd want us to be happy. And how can I know if Sans will truly be happy if he finishes college? Even though it's the right thing to do, the right thing isn't always the best thing. 

  
        So I told him to think about it while he visits us.

  
        "Okay, Papy. Just... let me take a shower first..." I say, sitting up sluggishly. 

  
        "NO! THERE'S NO TIME FOR THAT!" Papyrus whines. "HURRY AND GET READY SO YOU CAN PICK HIM UP!" And with that he run out of my room, happily getting ready for his brother's return. Sans has been away for a long time. I can't help but smile as I slowly get out of bed. Since I don't have that many clothes, I usually sleep in the clothes that he didn't take to college and throw mine on the treadmill. Normally I'll just throw on one of his white t-shirts and a pair of shorts. The shirt is baggy on me (I don't know how, I am taller than him) and the shorts are a couple of inches above my knees. It's nice to have something different on. 

  
        I grab my clothes from the treadmill's rails and quickly get dress. When I finally pull my bright red hoodie over my head, something tugs at my mind. The room feels heavier, like a weight is being forced onto the air. I find myself breathing heavily. For a moment, it feels as if I'm being watched. And that's crazy, probably my weird imagination.

  
        But then I see him.

  
        Or I thought I saw him. An apparition of a black blob with  _his face_  and  _his hands._  But that can't be possible, seeing as I watched him fall. I watched him refuse my help with tears in my eyes. And yet here he is, or so I thought, because I start to run out of the room at the sight of him.

  
        "I'll be back, Papyrus! Going to go get Sans!" I call out to him, rushing out the door. Well, that woke me up well. Funny to say that I'm twenty-six years old, but I'm scared to see my own father. Of course, you would to if you thought he was dead. But it must have been my imagination. It had to be. After I calm down, I take out my phone and text Sans.

  
        _Hey, Sans. I'm on my way. I'll take a shortcut so be up and ready._

  
Putting my phone away, I start walking slowly. The cold air nips at my cheeks, making them blush pink. Man, you'd think I'd be used to this. Nope. I mean, Snowdin isn't the worst place to live. But it's definitely not the best, either. And how does it snow underground? Has anyone questioned that? Probably not.

  
        I almost reach the bridge when my phone starts playing a short remix of the song Napstablook made Sans. It think it's called... "Song That Might Play When You Fight Sans"? Not the most creative title like all of his other works, but if you make like, three different songs for my brother, I don't blame the lack of creativity. Napstablook apparently makes themes for everyone, and it plays during their battle. I wonder why I haven't gotten one made yet. I'll have to give him a visit soon. When I look at the screen of my phone, I instantly roll my eyes.

  
        Sans:  _I'll be there in five minutes. Wait for me at the bus stop._

          
        Five minutes? I told him to pack up last night! Well, I suppose I could wait. Seriously, sometimes he aggravates me. But I love him with all my heart.

  
        Another cold breeze brushes against my face before I use my "shortcut", as Sans calls them. He told me that it would be a good idea to keep our powers a secret from Papyrus. Of course, I agreed. What's so wrong with a little secret? 

**  
        The capital, or "New Home", as the king named it (let's just stick with the capital), is filled with monsters going from place to place. It's a nice little city, with towering buildings and shops. If I didn't feel so disgusted here, we would be living here. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I shuffle my feet against the sidewalk towards the bus stop. Sans was right. There is always a beautiful day here. The birds are singing happily. Bright yellow flowers are blooming. So much different than the snowy cold of Snowdin. No wonder there's such a low population there. **

****

  
        No sign of my brother when I reach the bus stop. Leaning against the sign nonchalantly, I take out my phone. There's one unread message that I must have missed while arriving here. Opening it, I smile at the screen.

  
        Mettaton:  _Hello, darling! Alphys finished your costume last night, and my, does it look fabulous! Can't wait to see you at the costume party! Tootles~_  
        "Somethin' tells me that smile isn't for me." A husky voice says. I look up from my phone to see my brother in a black button-up shirt and dress pants with a bag sling over his shoulder. He hasn't really changed much appearance wise either. Although he does seem to favor puns a bit more. "Is that damn robot talking to ya?"

  
        "Mettaton is a nice guy." I say defensively. He stayed true to his word of contacting me after the recital. We sort of accidentally became best friends when we found out that we had a lot in common. Somewhere along the way, Alphys offered to make Happstablook a new body. After getting his new body, he became the first and only star of the Underground. I was so happy for him. In a way, he kind of reminds me of myself.

  
        "A nice guy?" Sans asks harshly, like I'm joking. "There are no words to describe that guy. Don't tell me that your seein' him."

  
        "N-no!" I squeak in protest.

  
        "Oh, so you have a crush?" pushes my brother. 

  
        "What? Me?" I ask quickly. I try everything in my power to not to smile, but at the same time my mouth is doing everything it can _to_ smile. "We're just friends." Sans gives me a disapproving look, and grins as if he can see through me. Well, I've never really thought about those kind of things. Hey, I don't do half the things people my age do. Tonight is probably the first more 'mature' party I'm going to.

  
        The small skeleton starts laughing. "That's what they all say." That's when I start marching off. He is... ugh. I can't stand him sometimes. Sans appears in front of me, trying not to laugh. "I'm sorry, sis."

  
        "Screw you." I mutter under my breath with a smile. My hand playfully socks him in the shoulder, and he glances up at me with a mischievous grin. Sans pulls out a metal screw from his pocket and sticks it in his 'nose'. One of my hands shoots up to my mouth to stop myself from cackling. "Sometimes I can't stand you."

  
        "Don't you mean I... _drive_ you crazy?" Sans jokes, shrugging his shoulders smoothly. Man, I love my brother.

  
        We walk in silence through the capital. Seeing as Sans doesn't have a costume, we might as well do that while we are here. Sans spots a small little costume shop, and we go inside to look around. After what felt like an hour, he finally picks one that he likes. I like it too. It really shows him off as mysterious.

        "Heya, Dest?" Sans asks after a while of walking. He insisted that we walk back to avoid Papyrus's spaghetti. I've been eating it for a long time now, and let me tell you, it is not edible. Maybe some lessons could do him some good, but who could teach him that? "What should I do?"

        Taking a deep breath, my walking comes to a halt. I try to hide any sort of disappointment in my face. "I don't know, Sans. It's not my decision." I tell him calmly.

        "But I don't even know if it's somethin' I want to do... I don't know if I'm ready for the responsibility." He explains to me, gesturing out of frustration. It's something that he loves doing. I know that he loves science, but like I said, I can't force him to do something he loves.

        "What do you want to do, then?" I ask curiously. My hands rest in my pockets as I smile supportively. Sans perks up and grins. 

        "I want to be a comedian." He answers lively. "I want to make people laugh. I want to tell jokes and puns. I want to help people by making them laugh." Matthew always made me laugh when I was down just by being his goofy self.

        ..... Sometimes I forget about him. Sometimes I can't remember my life before coming to the Underground. If I didn't have the picture of me and Matthew, I probably would've forgotten what he even looked like. And I hate myself for that. He's dead here while I'm still alive after falling down here. And no matter how many times Sans tells me it's not my fault, it doesn't make a difference. It is my fault. I should have gone with him. Maybe this would've been different. Even if he did fell, I could've gotten help, right? No, in reality, I would've jumped in after him. Just hoping that I wouldn't have died.

        But I didn't come with him. I didn't fall down here the same time that he did. I waited, because it was all I could do. It was all I could do. Maybe it was my fault that he went alone, but that doesn't mean I didn't try. At least I did something unlike the family of the other five children. I know for a fact that not all of them were only children.

        "Then do it, if you know for a fact that you want to do it. But at least think about it first." I say to him with a kind smile. My feet start moving again as we reach the elevator to Hotland. "Can we _please_ teleport to Snowdin? I do not want to walk _all_ the way back." I complain, dragging my voice to add exaggeration. Sure, it won't take that long to get there, but it's _so_ far and I don't have my inhaler _at all_. Okay, I don't even know if I still need it, but still, it's _so_ far.

        Sans sighs. "I don't know, sis. Are you sure Paps is still at home?"

        "Yeah. He's busy getting the place clean." I say nonchalantly, shrugging the question off. I didn't _actually_ know if Papyrus was still at home. But I'd say anything to avoid walking. And I know Sans would to, if our roles were reversed.

        "Well, then. I'll beat'cha home!" Sans shouts happily before disappearing.

        "You... cheater!" I yell before teleporting to Snowdin. Unfortunately, I fall into a deep pile of snow outside of Snowdin. The harsh cold nips at my nose before I try getting up. A deep laugh fills the air, making me grit my teeth. "Ha, ha, ha." I mock. "That was not funny!"

        Sans extends his hand to help me. "Hey, don't start  _snow_ flaking out on me." Taking his hand, he helps me up from the snow bank. My feet clumsily plant themselves onto the snowy ground. Sans helps me wipe off the snow from off my back.

        "Yeah, yeah." I say, trying not to laugh. "Let's go, bonehead." The bitter cold breeze brushes through the air, rustling the tree branches nearby. Snowdin has always been a quiet and calm town... until we moved in. To be honest, we just liven up the place. 

        We reach the house after a while of bad puns and laughs. Papyrus is probably worried, but Sans and I barely get to actually hang out together. Ever since he went to college, the only time we had to speak was over the phone once a week, and even that wasn't guaranteed. I did miss him and his joking manner. It's just never been like this since Dad's falling into the void. Sometimes I worry about him. I was given another chance at being a sister, and I'm not screwing up this time.

        Papyrus opens the door before I could knock. He has probably been waiting for us. "SANS! DESTINY! WELCOME BACK!" My little brother says cheerfully in his 'cool clothes'. "I HAVE PREPARED MY AMAZING COSTUME SO SANS COULD HELP ME WITH IT WHEN HE ARRIVED." And at that moment, Sans shoots me a quick look. For once, I didn't have an answer about our brother. Papyrus worked on a homemade costume for a few weeks now, but I've never been in the room when he made it. It was his project, and he wanted it to be a surprise. And I respected that.

        The house is nice and toasty when we walk inside, and a sigh of relief slips through my lips. I can only stand so much of the cold. And it's so nice seeing a clean house too. Not that it was ever messy. Papyrus would never allow that. Sans goes to Papyrus' room to help him with his costume. At the same time, I head to what is supposed to be Sans' room, but I've been residing there since he went to college. When I open the door, my first thought isn't of how the room is suddenly clean, but of the package in front of the bed in the right hand corner. That must be the costume Alphys and Mettaton made me. Oh, I can't wait to see what it is. The day he told me about his costume party, I had also told him that I barely had multiple sets of outfits, let alone a costume. So, being the great friend he is, he volunteered to make me a costume. At first I didn't believe him, but then Alphys started taking my measurements, so now I don't doubt him.

        Grabbing some clothes and other supplies that I will need to get ready, I hurry to take a shower. I wonder what kind of costume is in that box... ****  
A deep violet satin flows down in several layers before reaching the floor. Tiny, glimmering gems form fiery patterns on the waist and stomach. The sleeveless ball gown makes me feel reclusive and shy, as it takes everything in me not to run and grab my hoodie. If I'm honest with myself, I am a 'modest' person- meaning that I'd like to show as little skin and parts of my body as possible in order to feel comfortable. Sure, skin is just skin, and mine is just like every other human's, but this is who I am.

        The mask is made of a completely blacken metal that's twisted in elegant designs that reach to my hairline. When I put it on, it's a perfect fit. And that's when I feel more comfortable. I am more myself.

        Honestly, I feel like they kind of went beyond my expectations. I expected a cat costume or something that looked like it belonged in an anime. But this? This feels a bit much. Oh well, they did make it for me. It would be a shame not to wear it.

        But that's not what Sans' reaction is.

        "What the hell are you wearing, Dest?" He asks, giving me a strange, questioning look.

        "What?" I ask back in a mocking tone. "I'm just  _dress-_ ed for the occasion."

        Sans glares at me, trying not to encourage me. "That doesn't answer my question."

        "I didn't have a costume, so Mettaton and Alphys made one for me." I answer him. The pun I made is playing back in my mind, making me laugh. But Sans apparently isn't in a laughing mood, because his fedora shadows his face at the angle it's at. He has a black suit jacket and pants with a puffed out white button up. He looks handsome in his costume.

        "Oh, now I get it. The tin can got it for you." Sans mutters unhappily. There's that sense of protectiveness in his voice and actions. "He better not flirt with you or Paps."

        "He flirts with everyone. I don't take it to heart." I assure him. The last thing I need is for Sans to become that overprotective brother. He mutters something before Papyrus barges in from his room triumphantly. His legs and arms are covered in black while wear long red boots. But that's not even the best part. The torso piece is white with yellow trims and a weird symbol, and he wears blue briefs with a golden belt. To top the costume off, he has red gloves trimmed with gold and his long, red scarf from when he was younger. Papyrus looks like a superhero.

        "Great costume, bro." Sans compliments, smiling. "The perfect costume for the Great Papyrus."

        "THE GREAT PAPYRUS?" He asks. That's right, he doesn't remember. "YES! I LOVE IT! NYEH HEH HEH!" My brother's laugh makes me smile. I've never seen him so vibrant.

        "Okay, let's get going." Sans says after a chuckle. "Paps, since our sis is in a dress, we'll have to take a shortcut." Wait, how can we-

        Sans walks out the door, followed by Papyrus and I. When I walk outside, I'm not in Snowdin. I'm at Hotland, outside the lab. Oh. He must have teleported us using the door. And, of course, Papyrus questions this, but not like we thought he would. I mean, there is a shortcut in Snowdin, why wouldn't he believe there is more?

        The dress makes me incredibly hot here, so it takes me no time at all to ring the door bell. The doors slide open, revealing Alphys in an anime costume. She gasps at me. "Aww, Destiny! You look so pretty."

        Becoming flustered, I smile at her. "Thank you." I tell her sincerely. "You didn't have to do this." Alphys smiles nervously and lets us inside. Papyrus immediately runs off to who knows where, and Sans just strides towards the middle of the room. When I walk in slowly, mostly everyone in the room gawks at me, making me feel uncomfortable. It makes me want to run back to my room and hide there, but there would be no point. So I keep walking with my head up.

        "Hello, darling." A robotic voice says to me when I finally reach the middle of the room. My head turns to the right, seeing Mettaton in his small, box form. There are black cat ears taped on his head playfully and a tail hanging from the back. A smile slips it's way onto my face. "I love your costume."

        "Of course you do, you made it." I say playfully.

        "And do you like it?" He asks simply. For the most part, I do like it. It is something new, and I guess it makes me more mysterious.

        "Yeah, it's really cool." I answer, trying not to sound awkward. Parties aren't really  _my_ thing. I think they are fun, but I get shy around people I don't know, and it feels like _everyone_ is here.

        Mettaton must have seen the look in my eyes, because he tugs on my arm. "Come on. You'll be more comfortable if we talk by ourselves." The robot murmurs loud enough for me to hear, and tugs me onto the escalator up to the next room. I have to lift my dress of the ground slightly in order to avoid it getting caught. We step off when we reach the bookshelves. Leaning against the wall, I listen to Mettaton talk about his new movie sequel coming out, and how I will have to watch it. Then he says something strange. "Did you know that Alphys has been working on a more human-like body for me?"

        "No, I didn't." I answer truthfully. My hands start running through the ruffles of the dark dress curiously. At that moment, I almost didn't notice his change. Instead of a square body, he has a more human body with a lot of pink tied in and better legs than I do. I should've expected this from the both of them. But Mettaton does look good in his new body. The cat ears and tail are still attached too, making him more like a cat. "Nice." I say in awe.

        "I figured you'd like it, darling." He purrs playfully like a cat. At that time he wraps me in a hug, smiling. I hug back and smile as well, having fun with my best friend. Mettaton chuckles. "It certainly is a pleasure to have you in my presence, darling." He purrs happily, resting a hand on my shoulder.

        Neither one of us saw what is coming next.

        Mettaton's soul turns a dark blue shade before being tossed halfway across the room. I squeak in shock, bumping against the wall. Even though I didn't expect it, I know where it came from. My eyes stare at my brother, his fedora shadowing his face, making his cyan blue eye glow brighter. He stands menacingly in front of the escalator.

         **"Stay away from my sister."**


	11. Chapter 10

  I can't believe that my own brother had just thrown my best friend across the room. The very thought makes me boil inside. "Sans!" I yell angrily, glaring at him. Sans flinches back into a more confused state. His mouth falls into a small frown, but he quickly smiles nervously.   
        "I mean, oh no, he tripped!" Sans says rather loudly, trying to pretend that he didn't do what he just did. The cyan eye slowly disappears, and a playful smile is in its place. It takes everything in me not to chuck  _him_ across the room.  
        Alphys hurries up the escalator with a worried expression. When she sees him on the ground smiling at her, she scolds him. "I told you that your new body wasn't ready! What will I do with you?" But before I could hear anything else, I march over to Sans and grasp his arm, tugging him down the escalator with me. He tries to make puns, but I stopped listening to him. He screwed up, and boy, he won't hear the end of it. Shoving us both inside the elevator, I turn to my brother as the door closes.  
        "What the hell was that?" I hiss.  
        Sans' playful demeanor changes to a more defensive one as he squints. "I know ya think ya know best, Dest, but ya can't take care of yourself." He replies.  
        My hands ball into fists. How can he say that? What makes him the judge of that? "I can take care of myself! You're the one being overprotective." I fight back. Maybe if I could just knock some sense into him and show him... But it doesn't work. Sans refuses to see.  
        "Ya know, it'd be different if..."  
        "If I wasn't a human? If I wasn't your sister?" I suggest.   
        "Stop tryin' to put words in my mouth, sis." He snaps, glaring at me. His eyes seem dimmer than usual, almost black. "Maybe I realized that I can't bare to see ya hurt anymore! Do ya ever think about that? No. Because you're too busy bein' stubborn to see that. All ya see is that I'm keeping ya from making any friends!"  
        "That doesn't mean I can't take care of myself-" I start, but Sans leans closer. His eye starts glowing, making my spine shiver.   
        "You couldn't even save your own brother. How could you possibly take care of yourself?" growls the skeleton. Tears threaten to leak from my eyes. The dress suddenly feels heavier, like the weight of the world suddenly became stronger on my shoulder. My heart pounds in my chest. No... no...  
  
         _ **Why did you forget about me?  
  
        **_I didn't forget about Matthew! I... I just... can't remember.   
  
         **** _Please don't let me go.  
  
        _B-but... I... I didn't. And I didn't let him die. I grit my teeth in anger, glaring at him. "I  _hate_  you." The words spit out of my mouth like poison. Sans' eyes revert back to their white pupils as he frowns in shock. Did I just say that...? Is he...   
        I disappear before I could face him again.  
 

* * *

  
        The dress scrapes the rocky terrain. Blue illuminates the atmosphere, which makes the situation worse. Hell, tears are already falling off my face. I just told Sans that I hated him...   
          
        _"Are you okay...?"  
        My eyes slowly open, feeling like heavy weights against my eyelids. The voice belongs to a young skeletal monster who actually looks around my age. He's a bit short. maybe 4'9", and "big-boned", seeing as he has the appearance of being a bit chubby. It makes him cute for a monster. The kid wears a blue jacket with black basketball shorts. "Huh...?" I touch my cheeks, which are a bit sticky and moist. Tears. I was crying in my sleep. "Yeah, uh, kid. I'm okay." I say loud enough to be heard over the glass.  
        The kid opens the glass door. "Are you a... human...?" He asks, wide-eyed. It's like he's sure, but needed to make sure as well.  
        I nod my head yes slowly. "My name is Destiny." I introduce, extending a hand. My body is too weak to stand up at the moment.  
       The kid glances at my hand warily. "The name's Sans." He grins at me. "It's sans-ational to meet you."  
  
        _I keep walking, trying to ignore how awful I am. I'm his sister, his only sister, and I told him that I hated him? What the hell is wrong with me? The fact that I was given another chance, and the fact that thanks to him I didn't die of starvation should make it obvious that I should be grateful.  I'm the worst sister in the world of sisters.  
  
        _Tears fill Sans' eyes, and my heart drops. "Aww!" I cry weakly. "Don't worry, Sans!" My left arm reaches through the bed's railing and grasps his fingertips. "You just crack me up!" I joke, trying to add as much power to my voice as possible. I'm not able to hold his hand efficiently, but he grabs mine.  
        "Dad said that I could've killed you..." he whispers. Now I see that no amount of jokes will cheer him up. All he sees is the reality of almost killing his sister.  
        "No, you saved me." I try to convince him. "I actually would've died if you hadn't stopped me."  
        Sans looks down, his eyes full of guilt. "I started to think that you wouldn't wake up." admits the young kid. I sigh softly, smiling the best I could.  
        "Don't you remember?" I say nonchalantly. "I told you that I wouldn't leave. And I keep my promises."  
  
        _And I just left him. I told him that I hated him before just leaving. As I keep marching through, the sound of a rushing waterfall roars. It's nice and full of peace. No one in sight to see my regret.  
  
          _"You are not one of us. Why don't you go find your daddy?" The monster growled, smiling mischievously at me. "Are you afraid to scrap your knees or break a nail climbing back up?" They all laughed at me. I felt myself being trapped. And it was the first day here, I didn't want to start trouble._  
 _"Yeah! I bet the humans wouldn't even accept a freak like you." Another monster said, clawing at me playfully. "Hell, we don't even want you here."  
        "Leave her alone." My brother's stern voice said. I turned behind me to see him in his school uniform, which was nice and clean. The monsters laughed hollowly before pushing me roughly onto the ground. My face scraped the gravel, causing my cheek to start bleeding. I yelped at the stinging. It hurt so bad...  
        There was some yelling before I looked back up. Sans' eye glowed for a second before diminishing into his regular self. He ran over to me to help me up. Before I could thank him, my small brother took out a handkerchief and pressed it against the cut on my cheek. It did sting, but it also made me smile. "You'll have to learn not to be afraid to use that power of yours." He joked, guiding me home. "Don't worry. No matter what happens, I will always love you. I just... rather you don't get hurt."  
  
        _The tears keep sliding down my face as my heart starts feeling heavy. I don't know where I'm heading, but I would've kept going forever if a ghost didn't stop me. Their eyes look watery like mine. "Hello... I hope I'm not bothering you... you just look so sad..."  
        Wiping my eyes, I try to regain my composure. "You aren't. I'm just... I've made a mistake." I tell the ghost.  
        "Oh... well, you can come to my house... it's up ahead... or not, that's okay, too..." The ghost says before floating up to a set of houses. I follow, desperate to sit down for once. They walk inside the house on the left, and I quickly follow them. Well... as quickly as my dress would let me. It still lags behind me, all of its beautiful layers dragging on the hard ground. When the ghost opens the door, I instantly hurry inside, taking in the nice beats of the music. Everything is just... wow. It makes me smile.  
        "Did you make this?" I ask with a quivering voice, gesturing to the music.   
        "Uh... yeah... I'll turn it off if you want..." They mumble.   
        "No, don't!" I say quickly. "I actually love this." The ghost does a little nod, and goes over to their computer. The playful tune switches to a more peppy version of this, but faster. It's actually really catchy. And it forces me to hum it happily, leaning against the wall. My foot starts tapping to the beat of the melody. I really love this song.  
        "My name is Napstablook..." The ghost says shyly. Wait... that name sounds familiar...  
        I take off my mask, showing my tear-streaked cheeks. But I give a warm smile. "I know your cousin!" I tell them. "My name is Destiny."  
        Napstablook looks at me with sad eyes. "What are you doing here...?"   
        "I... I accidentally told my brother that I hated him..." I starting choking on my own tears.  
        "Oh no..." The ghost groans. "Would you like to lie on the floor with me...? It's a family tradition..." I accept the offer, of course. So I slowly make my way on the ground, fixing my dress along the way. My mask falls out of my hands onto the floor. It makes a little clanking noise before lying idle on the hardwood. And, for the first time in forever, I start to relax.  
  
         _The ruins became very lonely when Goat Mom left. Well, her name is actually Toriel, but Goat Mom suits her a lot better. It was soundless. Nothing in sight from where I am. I mean, don't get me wrong, I wanted to be alone playing video games. My sister is just so annoying. Sometimes I can't stand her. But now that I am really away without my family, it's frightening. What if I never see them again? Ha... Destiny always loved picking on me... maybe she is happy that I'm finally gone. Sighing, I stood back up, ready for my journey. I will get out of here, even if she really does hate me._  
  
        "I don't hate you..." I whisper. Not just to Matthew, but to Sans and Papyrus. They are my brothers, never forgotten and always remembered.  
        "Oh, I know, sis." A deep, husky voice says in the silence of the room. My eyes instantly shoot open as I sit up. My brother stands nonchalantly in the corner of the room. His costume appears a bit tattered. Probably from the stress of the night. Trying to get up as fast as I could in a dress, I go over to him and engulf him in the tightest hug. Tears start strolling down my cheeks while my breathing starts hitching. Sans holds me closer, petting my hair as a way of comforting me. I try to control my breathing, but I end up failing. "You're right. I shouldn't be so overprotective of you."  
        "No... it's okay... I just..." I mutter between sobs. Nothing really comes out like I want it to. But before I can try again, he stops me.  
        Chuckling, my brother smiles weakly. "I forgive you, Dest, don't ya worry. I... I don't care. I just don't want you hurt. You and Paps are all I have..." says Sans in a shaky voice. He sounds happy and relieved, but I know just by hearing him that he's been upset. He cares.  
        I don't deserve his forgiveness. I don't deserve anything. But in order to make him happy, I force a smile. "Thank you." I whisper. The one thing that I want to do is to go back and change everything. But I can't, no matter what. Now all I can do is show him what he means to me.  
        I need to show him how much I love him.

* * *

  
**_* Y o u  f e e l  l i k e  s h e  i s  g o i n g  t o  r e g r e t  t h i s._ **


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